SOUTHAMPTON: Marcus Trescothick has told the England management that he does not wish to go to India for the Champions Trophy matches and cited a "sensitive medical condition" as the reason.

However, he will be available for the Ashes and England says it is delighted that he will help defend the series but it must worry about the opener's willingness to carry on after he dropped out of the tour to India earlier this year in circumstances that have never been satisfactorily explained.

It is clear that he needs rest and that his illness is related to stress; possible because he spends so much time away from his wife and daughter Ellie.

I know from having the room next to his in numerous hotels around the country that he is exceptionally fond of the little girl and he must miss her when he is away.

The old-fashioned view is that he ought to want to play cricket above all else. The 21st century philosophy must be different.

Hectic schedule

Several correspondents took time off last winter because once the Champions Trophy, the Ashes, the ODI series in Australia, the World Cup and the tours next summer by West Indies and India begin, there will be little time off in the next 18 months.

Deserves sympathy

Trescothick deserves sympathy but how must the rest of the squad feel. In the last few minutes I have passed the captain Andrew Strauss and his wife and daughter.

I will bet he would like to take the Trescothick route too. But clearly Trescothick is ill and the sooner he is well again, the better.

"Following specialist medical advice, Trescothick will not be in the squad. The treatment has resulted in positive progress and he is expected to be fit for the Ashes tour," the England and Wales Cricket Board statement said.

"After his return from India, Marcus sought specialist help. In addition to the deleterious effects of a gastrointestinal infection on his health, it became evident that he was also suffering from an underlying stress-related illness," said a spokesman representing the doctors treating the opener.

"I was keen to take part in the Champions Trophy but I appreciate that my specialist's advice is that I must first continue the treatment, I recognise that I'm now well on course to make a full recovery," Trescothick added.

Pakistan wins again

That was not evident on Tuesday when he was out for a duck, bowled by Shoaib Akhtar in the third ODI against Pakistan at the Rose Bowl. After a match dominated by attempts to prove that Shoaib was messing with the ball — no charge was however laid by match referee Mike Procter — Pakistan won much as it pleased by two wickets with seven balls to spare.

Man of the match

The man of the match was Younis Khan, who made his first major ODI hundred, an extraordinary fact about such a fine batsman.

His form — and Shoaib's return — is just one of the reasons why Pakistan may win the ICC Trophy. It is even possible to think that it might win the World Cup as well.

SCOREBOARD

England: M. Trescothick b Akhtar 0, A. Strauss c Akmal b Razzaq 50, I. Bell c Hafeez b Akhtar 42, K. Pietersen c Hafeez b Naved 20, P. Collingwood c Akhtar b Naved 61, J. Dalrymple b Naved 62, R. Clarke b Razzaq 0, C. Read (not out) 21, S. Mahmood (run out) 0, J. Lewis c Malik b Naved 7, S. Broad (not out) 0, Extras: (lb-1, w-6, nb-1) 8, Total: (for nine wkts. in 50 overs) 271.

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-79, 3-113, 4-125, 5-226, 6-229, 7-250, 8-256, 9-268.

Pakistan bowling: Akhtar 10-1-59-2, Asif 9-0-51-0, Razzaq 8-0-44-2, Naved 10-1-57-4, Afrid 6-0-26-0, Hafeez 3-0-14-0, Malik 4-0-19-0.

Pakistan: S. Malik c Collingwood b Lewis 1, M. Hafeez (run out) 20, Y. Khan c Trescothick b Broad 101, M. Yousuf b Dalrymple 60, Inzamam (not out) 44, S. Afridi c Read b Mahmood 0, A. Razzaq c & b Broad 16, K. Akmal c Collingwood b Broad 0, Naved-ul-Hasan b Lewis 7, S. Akhtar (not out) 2, Extras (lb-5, nb-7, w-11) 23, Total (for eight wkts. in 48.5 overs) 274.

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-29, 3-196, 4-215, 5-217, 6-256, 7-256, 8-265.

England bowling: Lewis 9-0-32-2, Broad 10-1-57-3, Mahmood 9-0-66-1, Clarke 3.5-0-27-0, Collingwood 3-0-20-0, Dalrymple 10-0-44-1, Pietersen 4-0-23-0.

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