I don’t really agree, Will. I’m sure he thought he was better. I’m sure the management thought so too. This is just one of those things that happen. I get really tired of people saying: “someone should have done this” or “someone should have known that”. Life, and sport, doesn’t always work that way. He’s done the right thing, and pulled out in time for a new line-up to get a game before the Tests. It’s a blow, but it’s not the end of the world. Not for England and not for him. I really feel for him though — imagine what it would be like to have the vagaries of your mental health exposed to the English and Australian media, and sometimes worse, English and Australian sports fans.

The New Zealand rugby great, John Kirwan, has written a book about his debilitating depression, which he suffered through much of the height of his career. He’s done a lot to publicise the illness since, and to try to de-stigmatise it among men particularly, who are often really bad at dealing with depression and kill themselves a hell of a lot more than women do.

Who knows what Trescothick’s future will be? Those cricket scribes who are already saying it will be the end of his career are a big turn-off. They have no idea; why go for the black and white? Cricket is full of surprises.

My guess is panic attacks. Depression isn’t something that hits you only when you travel and not when you’re at home. I figure Tresco and the selectors assumed it was something about India - perhaps the unfamiliar cultural context - which set him off, but now the pressure of high expectations (or perhaps just the fear of a relapse at a crucial time) has set him off again.

Since it hasn’t happened in England, I presume he’ll continue to play county cricket. He may have lost his chance to play internationally, though, since it seems he’s no longer able to tour.

Check out the overwhelmingly positive comments from contributors to the Sydney Morning Herald’s blog:

http://blogs.smh.com.au/thetonk/archives/2006/11/show_your_suppo.html

Caroline raises an interesting point. Who says that international sportstars can’t have feelings. We always look at people’s individual performances and wonder why they can’t be consistent, and consistently first class. Perhaps they had a row with their partner that day, perhaps a parent is unwell, perhaps they are depressed about nothing in particular. Anyone who says that any of the above doesn’t affect them in the workplace is lying, so why are sports people any different? Who are we to tell people what’s important and what’s not.

It’s a real shame for Marcus Trescothick as a lot of people would bite their hand off for such an opportunity as going to Australia for 3 months let alone playing in the Ashes, but everything is relative. Isn’t it?

It’s a huge loss for England and the series. To us ignorant of the condition, it is impossible to imagine what he’s going through…

One of the less highlighted memories from the last Ashes series for me (aside from all the well publicised images) was Trescothick’s agressive batting on day 1 of the second test. After being thumped in the first Test, he set up the score of 400+ in a day and the win (albeit a narrow one!), making 90 aggressive runs - after the first loss, this was not the innings of a mentally weak man!

i’ve heard a rumour it may be due to his wife having her own mental health issues, and threatening to kill herself.
hardly going to make for a happy tourist.

Tresco undoubtedly has garnered more praise for his temperament than his footwork.
It is therefore mysterious the England camp has cited ’stress related’ illness as the cause of his unrest when mental resilience was always his greatest strength.
Without wishing to fan the flames of rumour too vociferously - it seems more likely that a high-profile member of the England squad had an affair with his wife.

His sudden departure from India earlier in the year was initially explained away as a ‘personal problem’ back home.
This first assessment was clearly wide of the mark as a stress-related illness was then offered as the real explanation.
It is feasible that Tresco’s latter condition stemmed from a domestic situation, but this is more likely to be a hastily concocted story to mask something more scandalous.
Which do you think is more likely?

You jumped to that conclusion not me, but it clearly demonstrates you’ve heard the rumours doing the rounds. There may be a grain of truth in it

That has got to be the most ridiculous rumour I’ve ever heard……how can you people believe such stories without having any concrete evidence in the first place?

Just had this confirmed from a reliable source at the MCC. Check back over the fixtures - when Tresco has been away and MV hasn’t. Apparently it has been on / off for a while now.

Tresco tried to go public with the story, as I understand, but Vaughan got an injunction. Take a look at a mystery ruling a few months ago by a Mr Justice Eady who ruled that a famous English sportsman who had been cuckolded by another celebrity English sportsman whould not be allowed to sell the details to the press…

Interesting reading……if it is true then everything that’s happened does make sense now.

It’s also very interesting that Trescothick and Vaughan have hardly played in the same team since the Ashes of 2005.

Oh Caroline yes.

We are just a bunch of chemicals and ALL illness is a biochemical dysfunction.Sometimes the physical/mental can be the more serious or easier to treat.
But, try getting a job with ‘depression’;phobic anxiety on your CV[unless you are Roumanian!-sorry].

During the first world war it was called cowardice and ‘lack of moral fibre’ in the 2nd.

Is there any difference to being dependant on an anti-cancer drug eg. or, dare I say it- heroin than say insulin or thyroxine?

Anyway,my rant over-better than cricket.