'Can't really say too much...': Ex-England cricketer Marcus Trescothick on clash with India in Cricket World Cup 2023

Former England cricketer Marcus Trescothick has warned his team ahead of their clash against India in the Cricket World Cup 2023. The assistant coach said that England's batters need to read the game better and that they have not been doing that consistently in the tournament so far.

Trescothick also said that England's bowlers need to be more careful with their line and length. He said that they have been giving away too many boundaries in the tournament so far.

The gung-ho approach with the bat adopted by England's cricket team has not reaped the expected rewards on Indian pitches, particularly in venues such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Other teams have successfully exploited these conditions, amassing substantial runs and showcasing solid performances. However, England has experienced regular batting collapses throughout the tournament, rendering their strategy ineffective.

"We have an attitude to how we've gone about batting in the last however many years since our white-ball cricket has changed and evolved. And it's always trying to be positive," PTI quoted the former England opener as saying.

"We're always looking to put pressure back on oppositions, bowlers, as much as we can while reading the situation and be smart in those situations. And we've done it occasionally. We've done it now and again.

"We just haven't done it consistently with enough people really reading the situation, taking the right options, and then putting it all together to get that score," he said.

England's batting is loaded with match winners and firepower, but it has yet to deliver in the mega event. So yet, Dawid Malan is the only hundred creator. Is it then a rhythm issue?

"Confidence, rhythm, whatever you want to call it. The form of the the team hasn't been as good as what we normally have. Normally there's always one, maybe two people in that team who are going to get a hundred-plus or a big score that's going to make a big difference," said the assistant coach to PTI.

The batting failure has happened despite a majority of the batters having tons of IPL experience. "We've gained massive amounts of more experience in India because of the guys playing the volume of cricket they have done. I think you're always learning; you're always playing in different situations.

"That's (playing on slower wickets) always a challenge for us. Every game that we want to play we want to play on the best wicket possible. If it's not and it turns, then we're okay with that and we've been good enough and we've been very smart at that in the last few years.

"I haven't looked at the pitch out there (for Sunday's game) so it might turn it might be slow but it'd be good preparation for some of the guys who are back here in January for the Test matches probably." Trescothick also asserted that his team remains fully committed to the 50-over format.

"Forgive me if I don't want to be blunt here, but we haven't lost faith in what it is. I can't really say too much more. We love playing any form of cricket, any form of the game that we play.

"And we were desperate to come here and try and win back-to-back 50-over competitions. So, we're still very much focused on all formats of the game," he added.

Trescothick described the potential of playing a World Cup match against India in their own backyard as the ideal platform for getting back into the flow.

"Playing against India in a World Cup in their own country is that's a special part of the game you know you get these opportunities that come around -- you know there'll be a big crowd, there'll be a wonderful occasion.

"We're looking forward to that chance. There's nothing more that we can offer apart from going out and playing that performance. And then hopefully you come out on top at the end of it," he said.

With England out of contention for the semifinals, Trescothick said he wasn't sure if the India game could be deemed a free hit.

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