Trescothick faces India decision

Marcus Trescothick, Somerset's leading performer on Twenty20 Cup Finals Day at Edgbaston, is now faced with a tough decision as to whether he will travel to India to play at the Champions League in October. He has three weeks to decide if he can cope with his first trip abroad since returning from the 2006-07 tour of Australia with his "stress-related illness."

Somerset are trying to help accommodate his situation with a tour plan to make him comfortable enough to play in India and Trescothick has until September 7 to make his decision, which is when the squad is cut from 20 to 15 players.

Richard Gould, Somerset's chief executive, has been working closely with Trescothick, discussing possible ideas to help him feel confident enough to perform in India.

"We've got about a month to work out ways we can try to help him compete," Gould told The Telegraph."There has been some talk about whether or not we can base him with his family somewhere and then just fly him to India for games. We'll have to look at the logistics of the flight times and costs. We're not going to put any pressure on him whatsoever. If he wants to give it a go we will help him as much as we can. If at the last minute he says it isn't going to work we will be fine with that."

Trescothick is the leading run-scorer in domestic cricket, with an average of 78.23, and his explosive batting display at Edgbaston on Saturday was a memorable spectacle. He scored 89 off 45 balls in two innings as Somerset, who were beaten by in the final Sussex, qualified for October's Champions League.

In the wake of England's demise in the fourth Ashes Test at Headingley, Trescothick was a name put forward to strengthen the top order. He admitted considering the option for a short while, but was never approached by the selectors and confirmed his retirement was permanent after a nightmare. However, Andrew Strauss had approached Trescothick requesting him to play in the ICC World Twenty20 this summer, but Trescothick declined.

Gould suggested that if the England selectors re-examined their policy of players having to be available all year round, including tours, Trescothick may consider a return to international cricket.

"I believe Marcus would be more willing to end his self-imposed retirement if he was told he did not have to be available for any tours due to his much-publicised [stress-related] medical condition," Gould told The Times.

"There are not many truly world-class performers and those that are, like Marcus, need to be kept on the pitch for as long as possible. He is absolutely at the top of his game, still one of the best batsmen in the world with an unabated hunger for runs.

"Before he retired for medical reasons, not because he was picking and choosing, he was looking to play for England until his mid-thirties and his form in Test cricket was unaffected when he pulled out of the tour to India in 2005-06."

Playing in the Champions League in October however, is the more immediate issue under question. If Trescothick decides he is happy to tour, he will have to manage Somerset's schedule of playing a minimum of two matches in three days across two cities. But they will have to play six matches to walk away with their share $6million for winning the event.