8. Marcus Trescothick, England
At number 8 on our list is former England Opener Marcus Trescothick. When I hear Trescothick’s name, a sense of calm runs over me, as if I am put at ease by the flowing sea. His batting had both a sense of calm and adventurism which very few Englishmen have been able to come up with. Trescothick was an obvious choice for England in all formats since the turn of the century. In the years till 2006-07, Trescothick had assembled quite a resume, 12 ODI hundred, 14 in Tests; he had it all going his way. But on came the year 2006 where Trescothick came face to face with his stress related illness. He backed out of the Champions Trophy Squad which was to tour India. He however made a comeback to everyone’s delight, although it was not to be for long. The case of Trescothick brought to light the tremendous rigors and pressures that cricketers have to go through day in and day out, but it also left unanswered the Question – What if Trescothick had recovered and played on for England for some more years? Would Alastair Cook have had made his Debut so early? Would Strauss have been left out? Only can we speculate.
