Marcus Trescothick: 'I want to see what franchise cricket is all about'

Could that really be who it seems to be, sitting in the dugout at the Utilita Bowl and adjusting the brim of his bright-green Southern Brave cap? Even in the itinerant world of franchise cricket, to observe a man who has only ever been associated with Somerset and England wearing the livery of a Hundred team over the last three weeks has made for an incongruous sight.

Marcus Trescothick was a perfect fit for T20 cricket, a trailblazing opening batter who once belted a 13-ball half-century and maintained a futuristic career strike rate above 150. But at 49, his new role as men's batting coach at Southern Brave is his first real experience of franchise cricket: "I wanted to get involved and see what franchise cricket is all about," he explains.

He spoke to IPL franchises in the tournament's early years, but his battle with anxiety and depression made the prospect of six weeks in India a non-starter. "I had various conversations," Trescothick recalls, "but it didn't work with me not travelling, and doing what I needed to do." Two games in the 2009 Champions League were his only T20 appearances outside of the UK.

He has enjoyed the opportunity to dip his toe into a world that feels a long way away from his home in Taunton, and the Hundred has been largely - if not entirely - similar to what he anticipated. "I expected to see much more involvement from external parts - maybe owners - and I appreciate they're going to take over more as we go into next season," Trescothick says.

"But some of it is very similar to what you get in international cricket. You're working with the better players from the county game. You're seeing big, sell-out crowds at big venues and the best players playing. That's got to be a good thing."

Trescothick has been working with England's batters for the best part of six years, but only met some of his new charges the day before their opening match in Manchester - barely 24 hours after witnessing India's dramatic win at The Oval. "You're not going to really be doing a great deal until you get the opportunity to see them and work with them for a period of time," he says.

"But you spend more time away from playing - in the cafe, or playing golf - and you get to know people a bit better… I don't think it changes a massive amount in terms of what you're trying to do with each player: you're trying to get them in the right state of mind to play in the game, and be able to be quite free… You've got to go out there and be aggressive, and take it on."

He sees the Hundred's best selling point as the platform it has provided for young players. "James Coles is playing for the Southern Brave. You've got Tom Lawes at the Superchargers, [Tawanda] Muyeye opening the batting for the Invincibles. All these different players [who] in the next three-to-five years might break through into international cricket, get exposed at this point.

"Sonny Baker is a great example: he's not played a massive amount of white-ball cricket, but is getting real exposure at the top end, bowling at the world's best players… We need to get them playing against the best more often so eventually, when they get the opportunity to stand up, it's not so much of a shock as potentially what it has been in the past."

Yet the Hundred remains hugely divisive, not least at Trescothick's home club. He was due to work with Welsh Fire - in theory, Somerset's local team - in the Hundred's first season before it was mothballed by the Covid pandemic, but is clear in his belief that the long-term solution to their supporters' disillusionment is a new, south-west franchise based in Taunton.

"Then, you'll soon understand how important it is for the county to grow. Although they get big crowds for the current Blast and 50-over competitions, you'll see even better players playing: the world's best, and England's best. You could have Jofra Archer bowling against David Warner. People queue up to try and see that.

"Think bigger. The club will need something longer [term] to try and progress the game in the south-west. So if, in the future, we get the opportunity to have a Hundred franchise, we desperately need it… I want it to grow, because I'd love a franchise down that way. Let's wait and see. It's not my decision."

The Brave kept their play-off ambitions alive on Wednesday with a tense win in Cardiff, but Trescothick's attention will immediately turn back to England after the Hundred finishes next weekend. He will resume his usual role as one of Brendon McCullum's assistants for South Africa's white-ball tour, then will deputise as head coach for three September T20Is in Ireland.

He will work closely with Jacob Bethell who, at 21, is set to become England's youngest captain. Trescothick has known Bethell since he was a teenager, occasionally working with him at Under-19s level, and is rare in having seen his leadership qualities within a team environment. "He's had great success since," he says, "but the leader that he is, is the most important part.

"The way he communicates in the changing room, the way he talks to other people, the way he speaks in team meetings is everything you want it to be, and everything you expect from a captain that would progress down the line. This is great to give him that chance in a small little window, to give him the reins and see how he progresses: what he enjoys, what he finds tricky."

For Trescothick himself, another series as head coach - after deputising against Australia and West Indies last year - represents another opportunity to build his CV. "I'm keen to get as much exposure as I can. The more I can step up into that role and keep growing my skills and knowledge by working with different people, the better."

He has returned to touring with England in recent years, and plans to be fully involved this winter; clearly, Trescothick has caught the coaching bug: "At the end of Ireland, I'll have three weeks before we go to New Zealand - but I'll probably spend most days in at Taunton School doing the coaching there… I don't necessarily need to go away and take time off. I like working."