Trescothick needs some cheer from Beer match

Amidst the joyous scenes of celebration which have followed England around the Caribbean for the past fortnight there has been one sombre sight: the vision of Marcus Trescothick trudging back to the pavilion with another low score against his name.

Amidst the joyous scenes of celebration which have followed England around the Caribbean for the past fortnight there has been one sombre sight: the vision of Marcus Trescothick trudging back to the pavilion with another low score against his name.

In any team game there are periods when certain individuals are carried by the rest of the side and Trescothick's poor form has so far been made up for by the batting of Mark Butcher, Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe.

A good team can accommodate these inconsistencies but England, despite their success in the first two Test matches, still need the majority of their players to contribute. They are not yet good enough to carry players for lengthy periods of time.

Trescothick is aware of this and it is the reason why he has asked to play in a match that most of Michael Vaughan's victorious side would prefer to sit out. Today's three-day encounter against the Carib Beer XI at the University of the West Indies ground in Barbados will give James Anderson, Gareth Batty, Rikki Clarke, Paul Collingwood and Geraint Jones the chance to show their parents that they are still part of this tour.

However, finding five others from the XI that won in Trinidad will be a far tougher proposition for Vaughan and the England coach, Duncan Fletcher. Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones are the only two players without a wife or girlfriend here but it is hard to believe either of them will be volunteering for an extra game of cricket.

Trescothick, who has scored only 46 runs during his seven innings in the Caribbean, is not the only player who could do with practice. Ashley Giles bowled poorly in Trinidad and should play, and Andrew Flintoff would benefit from another bat. England will also be tempted to keep Simon Jones bowling now that he has found a good rhythm. Vaughan looks set to rest, meaning one of Butcher, Hussain and Thorpe must play. I wish the messenger luck.

"Obviously my form is of some concern," said Trescothick, England's probable captain. "My practice has gone pretty well, but in matches I have been back in the hut before I have known it. I'm struggling to find a reason because going into the games I've felt really positive and happy about my game. I've missed a couple of balls, and got out, had a couple of decent balls and had a shocker the other day. I've got to try and remain positive because I know it will come back. I just need one innings to kick it all on again."

This is not the first tour on which the Somerset opener has struggled for form. In 2002-03 he had a torrid time in Australia and his overall record abroad is poor compared to that in England. Trescothick's Test batting average is still a healthy 41.5 but when broken down there is a 22-run difference between his average in England - 54.13 - and his average overseas - 32.47.

The West Indies is a destination where you do not get excellent practice facilities and it is self-contained cricketers who know their game who have done well here in the past. The experience gained by Butcher, Hussain and Thorpe on their previous tours here has helped them to cope with this but it appears to have caught Trescothick out.

"The hardest thing for me to come to terms with has been the pitches," he said. "Our preparation and practice has all taken place on pretty average surfaces, and because of that you have had to work hard for your runs. In England you get used to playing on pretty good surfaces in the nets and in the middle, and the rhythm of batting comes easily.

"The new ball is dangerous here, it swings and seams around, but I will definitely open the batting. It is my job to open and there is no reason for me to drop down for one game so that I can try and get some runs. I've got to stick in with it. If I allow myself to get down and negative, then it will just spiral down all very quickly." Should Trescothick allow matters to get on top of him he can expect little sympathy from Tino Best and Fidel Edwards.

The state of West Indian bowling received plenty of criticism after their tour of South Africa but this pair, along with Corey Collymore and Pedro Collins, offer encouraging signs for the future. "Best and Edwards are both right up there in pace with Brett Lee," Trescothick said.

"Fidel is the quicker of the two but Tino is very lively. He is in the high 80s and early 90s all day. Lee in Perth is the quickest I've faced and Shoaib's been quick at times. But these guys are right up there."

No bowlers of this pace will play against England over the next three days - Edwards is injured and the other three are playing for Barbados against Jamaica in the Carib Beer Cup final, the region's domestic first-class final, but Jermaine Lawson and Dwight Washington, two promising young paceman, will.