Marcus Trescothick has defended England’s condensed preparation plans for the 2025/26 Ashes.
Warning of potential fatigue later in the five-match Test series, coupled with the sheer volume of cricket being played by today’s top players, the England batting coach said the squad was satisfied with just one warm-up match, to be played against an English Lions XI at Lilac Hill.
“It’s something that’s worked really well for us before, keeping it short, sharp and intense,” Trescothick explained from New Zealand where he’s currently working with the England white ball squad.
“There’s so much cricket being played, it’s not necessarily about having five (warm up) games because that has an impact later in the series, if you take that time and add that to a trip, you’re there for four months, that’s really tricky.”
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While Trescothick, 49, and England head coach Brendon McCullum may be confident about their squad’s condensed Ashes preparation, it seems plenty of outsiders are not.
Former players and commentators in both hemispheres have been critical about the decision given the significantly bouncier pitches the English batsmen will encounter in Australia, further compound by the fact the first two Tests will be played in Perth and Brisbane.
Earlier this month legendary England all-rounder Sir Ian Botham told Sky Sport the decision to play just one practice match against the England Lions ‘borders on arrogance.’
England has failed to win a Test match, let alone a series, in Australia for three consecutive Ashes tours.
Ahead of its most recent success in 2010/11 the England squad arrived a full month before the first Test and played three warm up games against Western Australia, South Australia and Australia A.