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Marcus Trescothick is eager to have Jamie Smith at his disposal when he takes charge of England’s white-ball team next month, having watching him flourish on the Test stage.
Trescothick will lead the side in three T20s and five ODIs against Australia next month, promoted from his role as assistant coach to caretaker following Matthew Mott’s sacking, and Smith is a player he would love to have by his side.
The 24-year-old wicketkeeper-batter has enjoyed a profitable summer in the red-ball side and produced his latest impressive contribution with an unbeaten 72 on day two of the first Test against Sri Lanka.
His knock turned a tricky situation into a 23-run lead at stumps, with England finishing 259 for six. And, despite a packed calendar that sees an almost non-stop diet of international fixtures between now and the end of the year, Smith is likely to be available for at least some of September’s games against the old enemy.
Asked if he would like to see him in the side, Trescothick said: “Yeah, I think so. He just seems very suited to international cricket.
“We knows he’s a very skilled and talented player and he just seems to take to it quite nicely. We’ve seen enough of him playing for Surrey in the T20 or other competitions and now the way he’s come in and taken to international cricket is probably the most important part.
“They have a busy schedule doing this and the next two series very closely overlap, so whether he plays some of it or all of it, I don’t know. We’ll wait and see and work out what squad we’re going to pick.”
Trescothick was circumspect about his own ambitions of taking over from Mott on a permanent basis but admitted his mind had started to turn to the challenge ahead.
“The lads give me loads of abuse because I’m just throwing white balls around now making sure I’ve got every player available when we come to that series,” he joked.
I’m not necessarily thinking any further ahead than the end of the Australia series— Marcus Trescothick
“I’m just trying to have various conversations behind the scenes with coaches and staff, people like that, making sure we get it right.
“It’s not something I ever thought about it before, until I got this opportunity now. I’m not necessarily thinking any further ahead than the end of the Australia series because I’ve been very much focused on the job we’re doing here.
“I’ve not really sat down and said ‘right, this is where I’ll try to go, this is what I’ll try to do’ but I’m looking forward to the opportunity, for sure. I’m really excited about doing the job. We’ll work it out a little bit more from there.”
