Tresco up for Somerset return

Marcus Trescothick in Somerset colours in 2007 © Getty Images

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England batsman Marcus Trescothick has not ruled out a return to international cricket but at present he is focused on Somerset’s reappearance in Division One of the LV County Championship.

The left-hander has not featured for England since returning early from the 2006/07 Ashes tour with a stress-related problem, and, although he was named in England’s provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup, he was not considered when the squad was reduced to 15.

Trescothick said: "To be honest I haven't really set my sights beyond training this winter and preparing myself ready for the 2008 season with Somerset in Division One.

“I haven't set any targets other than that and will take things as they come, so we will just have to see how things go."

Trescothick has started his winter training programme in readiness for Somerset’s first taste of Division One cricket since 2002 - on the back of a productive 2007, when he scored 1,315 runs at an average of 62, including four centuries.

"2007 was only an average season for me really. I played well at times but poorly compared to the way that I should have," he told Somerset CCC.

"I have got a lot more to give, in fact I reckon I was only playing to 75 per cent of my capability so next season I will be looking to achieve more.

"After a few weeks off it comes pretty hard when you first get back into things, but I will soon get used to it.

"This is a big winter for us, and, even though over the last few years our training standards have gone up, next season we are in the big boys league so we will have to work even harder and give that 5 per cent more in readiness for 2008.

"If we play the same sort of cricket that we played in 2007 then we will give a very good account of ourselves.

"There was only one other team who gave us the sort of game that we can expect in the first division and that was Nottinghamshire when we played them at Trent Bridge. Middlesex beat us at Lord's but that was on a tough wicket."