Trescothick Wants 3-0 Sweep as England Eye Pakistan Series Clean Sweep at Edgbaston
England have already won the Test series against Pakistan, and interim head coach Marcus Trescothick has no intention of settling for a comfortable 2-0 finish. He wants 3-0.
England sealed the series by winning the second Test at Lord's, following an opening-Test victory that wrapped up inside three days — a clinical, dominant display across both matches The Guardian. The third and final Test of the summer series is scheduled at Edgbaston, where Trescothick is determined to sign off with a perfect record.
"We will not ease off the gas," Trescothick said, making clear that England intend to push for a clean sweep rather than rotate or experiment The Guardian. He wants to field the most consistent team possible and will decide the lineup after assessing how players recover during their break between matches.
The seam attack that did the damage at Lord's was a four-pronged unit: Ollie Robinson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson The Guardian. That firepower, spread across four fast bowlers rather than the more traditional mix of seam and spin, has given England clear edges in both matches.
There is a personal dimension to Trescothick's hunger for the clean sweep. He is overseeing this three-match series — branded the Rothesay Test Series, which began at Headingley on 19 August — as interim head coach, but may not feature in the plans of incoming head coach Stephen Fleming, who is set to take charge of England's Test team ESPN Cricinfo The Guardian. Trescothick, who oversaw an innings victory in the first Test, has said he would like to remain part of Fleming's backroom staff, though that decision is not his to make The Guardian.
A 3-0 sweep would strengthen his case in the strongest possible way — results on the board, not words in a meeting room.
Edgbaston, the Birmingham ground hosting the finale, has a habit of producing high-scoring contests. Last summer, India piled up 1,014 runs there across two innings — their highest aggregate in a single Test The Guardian. Whether England's seamers can keep Pakistan quiet on a surface that has recently favoured batters is one of the questions Trescothick and his staff will weigh as the match approaches.
For fans, the appeal is straightforward. A series is won, but a sweep is a statement — and Trescothick, possibly coaching this England side for the last time, has every reason to make it.
