Marcus Trescothick has backed Jos Buttler as England’s white-ball captain but says the upcoming series against Australia offers a chance to experiment with who plays as wicketkeeper.
England Test lead batting coach Trescothick will serve as interim head coach for September’s three T20Is and five one-day internationals – live on Sky Sports – following Matthew Mott’s departure at the end of July, with Brendon McCullum taking on the role from January.
Although England’s Cricket World Cup defence last October ended in the group stage and their performances were questioned despite reaching the semi-finals of June’s T20 World Cup, Trescothick is in no doubt fellow ex-Somerset player Buttler is the right person to lead the team.
“I think he is,” Trescothick told Sky Sports. “The attributes he shows behind the scenes are really important to lead this team.
“Me coming in is just to try to enhance that as much as possible, to make him feel like this is the way the group is going to go, the way the team is going to evolve in a different way to get the most out of him as captain.
“For whatever reason, the tough couple of World Cups they have had, they’ve potentially come out of those not feeling great about our one-day cricket, but it’s still in a really good place and Jos is going to lead that forward for a period of time at the moment, and I don’t see that changing.
“There are so many things he does so well that we’ve just got to bring out, enhance, and make it better as we go along.”
Trescothick confirmed the idea of Buttler giving up wicketkeeping duties and playing solely as a batter to allow him to focus on the captaincy is something which is being considered for the matches against Australia.
Phil Salt would likely take the gloves for the T20Is, while England Test star Jamie Smith would be an option for the ODIs, and Trescothick sees it as a viable option for the side to experiment in these upcoming games.
“It’s something we discussed and we’re open to the idea of,” Trescothick said. “It’s definitely something we’ll think about because we can try different options.
“We can give it a go for a period of time, and see what reaction is has on captaincy and the team, whether it changes anything or makes it better or worse.
England Test wicketkeeper Jamie Smith is in the ODI squad to face Australia
“It’s definitely something we can have a little go at.”
As for whether he would like his interim head coach position with the white-ball team to become permanent, Trescothick is waiting to see how things progress during the clashes with old rivals Australia.
The 48-year-old, who played 76 Tests and 123 ODIs for England, knows different demands will be placed on him compared to his role overseeing the Test batters and is keen to finish the ongoing series with Sri Lanka before thinking more about the future.
“I’m not sure at the moment,” Trescothick said. “I’ve been so heavily invested into the Test team and the role I have coaching the batting, I didn’t really give it much thought until I got the opportunity.
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England’s interim white-ball head coach Marcus Trescothick says he’s going to see how he enjoys the role before making any decisions on his future and admits he has no strict plans.
“At the moment, I’m still very focused on the batting stuff with the Test team and I think I’m going to let this play out over this period of time, see how I enjoy doing the head coach’s role and then go from there really.
“I’m quite open to the idea of seeing what is going to happen.”
England vs Australia schedule – all games live on Sky Sports
- 1st T20 (September 11) – The Ageas Bowl, Southampton (6.30pm start)
- 2nd T20 (September 13) – Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (6.30pm start)
- 3rd T20 (September 15) – Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester (2.30pm start)
- 1st ODI (September 19) – Trent Bridge, Nottingham (12.30pm start)
- 2nd ODI (September 21) – Headingley, Leeds (11am start)
- 3rd ODI (September 24) – Seat Unique Riverside, Durham (12.30pm start)
- 4th ODI (September 27) – Lord’s, London (12.30pm start)
- 5th ODI (September 29) – The Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (11am start)
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