England omit Trescothick
Melbourne, January 13:
Troubled opener Marcus Trescothick’s international career appears doomed after he was left out of England’s 30-man squad for the upcoming World Cup.
There is a similarly bleak outlook for veteran pacemen Darren Gough and wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, who have both been excluded from the extended squad. After missing the Champions Trophy, Trescothick was declared fit to play in the Ashes and was duly selected. However, he returned home after less than two weeks, again citing a form of depression.
Gough, who was also overlooked for England’s Champions Trophy campaign, was hoping to earn a recall for the World Cup, but was ruled out because of concerns about his general level of fitness. It is a similar scenario for Jones, who was England’s preferred wicketkeeper for the first three Ashes Tests, but struggled to have an impact with the bat. He was replaced by Chris Read, who along with Paul Nixon is in the training squad.
Seven players not in England’s Champion Trophy squad are in the 30, including captain Michael Vaughan, spinner Monty Panesar and Nixon. The squad also includes four uncapped players — Amjad Khan, Mal Loye, Graham Onions and Ravi Bopara, who was also called up as a replacement for injured England batsman Kevin Pietersen in the current triangular one-day series.