Marcus Trescothick
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Template:Infobox Cricketer Marcus Edward Trescothick (born in Keynsham, Somerset on 25 December, 1975) is an English cricketer who plays Test cricket for the England cricket team and County cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club.
After an exceptional run-accumulation record at school level followed by a relatively disappointing early first-class cricket career as an opening batsman, Trescothick impressed Duncan Fletcher in a county match at Taunton against Glamorgan (when Fletcher was the Glamorgan coach) when he scored 167 (including five sixes) when the next-best score was 50. Fletcher became the first foreigner to coach England in 1999, and, when he needed an opening batsman in 2000, he called on Trescothick. Trescothick immediately demonstrated devastating strokeplay with a calm head, a good combination with the more solid play of Michael Atherton.
Trescothick has since displayed a tendency to give his wicket away when seemingly well set, contributing only a quick cameo of 30 or so runs. His form dipped in the 2003/4 tours to Sri Lanka and West Indies, and the stellar debut of Andrew Strauss in 2004 overshadowed Trescothick to some extent. However, the England selectors were patient and, on 1 August, 2004, playing against West Indies, Trescothick became the first player to make centuries in both innings in a Test match at Edgbaston (and the ninth England player to score a century in each innings of a Test match). On 28 December 2004, in the second innings of the second Test against South Africa at Durban, Trescothick scored 132 runs in an opening parthership of 273 with Strauss, a record opening partnership at Durban and England's first 200 opening stand since Graham Gooch and Atherton against Australia in 1991. He is also a very occasional bowler and stand-in wicketkeeper.
Trescothick is also England's Vice-Captain, having been appointed to the role after Michael Vaughan became captain of the side (indeed, Trescothick was Vaughan's main rival for the captaincy). When Vaughan was injured during the preparations for 2004's First Test against New Zealand and left to play in the match itself, Trescothick took over the captaincy for that match. England were victorious meaning that Trescothick, for now, has a 100% success rate as a Test Match captain. He relinquished the role for the Second Test when Vaughan returned to the side.
He has also captained England in one-day international and representative matches when Vaughan has not played.
In 2005, he was named as one of five cricketers of the year by Wisden Cricketer's Almanack, and in June of that year scored exactly 100 not out against Bangladesh in his hundredth one-day international; this was his ninth ODI hundred, passing Gooch's previous England record of eight.