Trescothick prepared for Australian sledging
Marcus Trescothick is adamant that he has recovered from his stress disorder but is bracing for plenty of Australian sledging in this month's Ashes series
| |
|
He believes Australian players and fans will bring up his experience during an intense and mentally challenging series over the next few months. "I have no doubt about it. I'm pretty sure something will be said along the way but I have to accept that that's going to be a part of it," Trescothick told reporters. "Maybe things that are talked about over the next couple of weeks will help me prepare for it a little bit.
"If I thought to myself that nothing was going to happen and suddenly went into the Test match and it was a barrage of everything I didn't want to hear, it would probably catch me by surprise, but I am expecting the worst."
Trescothick said he needed a complete break to recover from a build-up of factors that were weighing him down during the India tour and subsequent English summer, which cumulated in him opting out of the Champions Trophy.
"It was a lot of different things," he said. "A lot of people have said more about it than obviously I have but I needed time to take stock and get back into it. I needed to recharge. Not only was I trying to play international cricket and succeed at my job, but some days I was not feeling too good and having to think about other things.
"I didn't want to show people anything was wrong - of course I didn't - you just want to carry on and go about your job. You feel like a bit of a failure, if you like. You feel like you're giving in to something, and it's got a bit of a stigma with it when you talk about stress-related illnesses and stuff.
"To give in and finally come out and say what had happened was, for me, the best thing I could do, because I got it off my chest, and I had nothing then to fear from other people."
Trescothick, who was England's second-highest scorer in last year's Ashes with 431 runs, says that the time away has helped him prepare for what he sees as the biggest challenge of his career. "We plan for different scenarios and different situations, and obviously going back on tour is one of those, and playing against Australia, playing in the biggest series you'll ever play in."
Read in App
Elevate your reading experience on ESPNcricinfo App.