Trescothick undecided on candidacy for England white-ball head coach

Marcus Trescothick will act as England’s interim head coach in their T20I and ODI series against Australia next month, but has not yet decided whether he wants to be considered as a long-term option for the white-ball role.

Trescothick, one of England’s assistant coaches, is working with the Test team during their series against Sri Lanka and will leave the team during the third Test at The Oval. He will then link up with the white-ball squads – which are due to be announced next week – at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton ahead of the first T20I on September 11.

“It’s not something I’d ever thought about before, until I got this opportunity now,” Trescothick said. “I’m not necessarily thinking any further ahead than the end of the Australia series. I’ve been very much focused on the job we’re doing here [with the Test team].

“You plan your winter: we’re off to Pakistan, then New Zealand. I’m so ingrained in that at the moment, I’ve not really sat down and said, ‘right, this is where I’ll try to go, this is what I’ll try to do’. I’m looking forward to the opportunity, for sure. I’m really excited about doing the job. We’ll work it out a little bit more from there.”

Trescothick has never previously worked as a head coach but has expressed an interest in graduating to that role. He spent 18 months as an assistant coach at Somerset after his retirement as a player in late 2019, and has been involved in England’s staff since early 2021.

He will be involved in selection and has a close relationship with Jos Buttler – who has retained the white-ball captaincy – from their time at Somerset together. Buttler returned to full training this week after a calf injury ruled him out of the Hundred, and could feature for Lancashire in their T20 Blast quarter-final against Sussex on September 4.

England’s T20I series against Australia starts 24 hours after the scheduled close of play on the fifth day of their third and final Test against Sri Lanka, necessitating separate squads – though Jordan Cox may be included in the T20I squad if he is not required at The Oval. “They have a busy schedule,” Trescothick said. “The two series very closely overlap.”

The ECB has yet to formally advertise the white-ball role vacated by Matthew Mott’s sacking at the start of this month, but Trescothick could become a strong contender if England perform well against Australia. Kumar Sangakkara is considered the early favourite but has not confirmed – or denied – whether he will apply.

Andrew Flintoff, whose Northern Superchargers team missed out on the Hundred’s knockout stages on net run rate in his first role as head coach, could also be a contender. But he will not reprise his recent role in England’s coaching staff against Australia, with the Telegraph reporting on Thursday that he has not “gelled” with Buttler.