Trescothick desperate to play for England again

Marcus Trescothick, the England opening batsman, has expressed his hunger to return to the national side after missing the Ashes with a stress-related illness. He made an astonishing return to competitive action this week by smashing 256 from 117 balls in a pre-season friendly for Somerset against Devon at Taunton.

Trescothick dramatically pulled out of England's Ashes tour last November and underwent a double hernia operation last month in Manchester. However, Trescothick was guarded about an immediate return to the England side and said that he would wait for the right moment before confirming his availability.

"I am desperate to play for England again," Trescothick told Somerset's official website. "But it wouldn't be fair to anyone if I attempted to do so again without being doubly certain that I could complete an overseas tour, as well as take part in games over here. I am sure I will reach a stage when I am fully recovered, but I will not put pressure on myself by predicting when that will be."

Reflecting on the Ashes pull-out, Trescothick said it was unfortunate he was not able to support the struggling team. However, he backed his decision to return home given his state of mind at that time.

"I wouldn't have gone to Australia if I hadn't felt convinced in my own mind that I could handle an Ashes series there," he said. "Now I know that feeling was wrong. While viewing the Ashes matches I really wished I could be out there helping the team, but knew deep down that I needed to be at home."