Marcus Trescothick has come in to the England team this year and looked equally at home in both one-day internationals and in the Test Match arena.
The Somerset left-handed batsman has used his simple, but effective technique to destroy some of the best bowling in the world, notably Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, scoring an impressive 262 runs at an average of 43.66 from his first 4 Test Matches. After his first Test, he could ha been called the best batsman in the history of cricket, with an average of over 100! He leaves most deliveries outside the off stump, but when he does decide to attack a wider ball he plays through the line of the ball, rather than pushing at it like some other England batsmen. This reduces the chance of being caught in the slips. When Marcus Trescothick does hit the ball it is as powerfully as any other player, perhaps with the exception of Andrew Flintoff.
It was in the one-day form of the game, however, where Trescothick first made his name. I was lucky enough to be there as he hammered 81 in his first international, against Zimbabwe at the Oval. He only got in the team because of injuries, but it was clear from this first game that he would become a key part of England's set-up. In his 12 one-day internationals to date, Trescothick has scored 441 runs at an average of just over forty, and his useful medium pace has earned him a best of 2-7. Trescothick is also a useful close fielder and is the 2nd top scorer of all time in the England Under 19 team, second to John Crawley.
Still only 24 years old, Trescothick, who has formed a superb opening partnership with Michael Atherton, could be a future England captain.