Tresco – yes or no?

Should Marcus Trescothick be back playing for England next week at Lords? Wickman thinks not. While Wickman is a big fan of Banger, there are too many good reasons not to have him back just yet. The 185 he has just assembled against Northants is not quite the innings it seems. Of those lined up against him in anger, only Monty Panesar could be said to be a first choice international bowler. And the pitch is a belter. He has hardly had the world’s finest nibbling away round about the top of off waiting for him to waft one to four piranhas and a gully. The only reason anyone’s asking is down to Vaughany’s latest injury. The curse of the poppadom fingers has hit England again – but bringing back someone with a poppadom mind isn’t the answer. Alistair Cook is due to return to the side – he’s a more than adequate replacement against the West Indies. The West Indies without Brian Lara don’t have a prayer in this series. Even allowing for England’s ritual inability to win at HQ it’s not a series where anyone needs to have their fitness put on the line to hold back the marauding hordes. Nope. Wickman is looking forward to Marcus smashing everything in sight around the counties until the important series starts later in the Summer against India. There will be precious little support here now for the West Indies, little atmosphere, little pressure on the games. Far better that Banger makes it back to full health and fitness in time for a true test of his mettle against Harbhajan and Kumble on bone dry pitches in July. He’ll have come full circle. He has unfinished business against them.