Take Charge Trescothick!

Richie Benaud once suggested that captaincy was 90% luck and only 10% skill, but nobody should try it unless they had that 10% of skill.

The England team have been falling over themselves in an attempt to praise Trescothick's captaincy credentials, but the question still remains: does he have the 10% of skill? Trescothick has only captained England once, which was a victory at Lords against New Zealand. That victory was arguably due to the batting of Strauss and Hussain, rather than any shrewd captaincy. It has been suggested that as Trescothick is not the captain of Somerset he lacks leadership experience. However, none of the players on central contracts captain their county, as they will miss most of the season due to England commitments. This means that there is always likely to be a dearth of experience when it comes to appointing the England captain.

David Graveney stated that Trescothick will benefit from the support of Strauss and Flintoff. I am uneasy at this comment as these two players are spoken of as possible successors to Vaughn. Did Graveney feel it was necessary to remind these players where their loyalty should lie?

When a politician states that he has no intention of standing in a leadership contest, his name will invariably be the first on the ballot paper. It is possible that Trescothick is showing similar false modesty when he expresses his reluctance to accept the captaincy. His statement that he has no ambition to do the job permanently could be considered with the same caution. To openly express ambition could be interpreted as disloyalty towards his injured captain; but as an England supporter I would have more confidence in a captain who showed more confidence in himself.

So stand up proudly Marcus Trescothick, captain of England! With Vaughn injured you are the best and only man for the job!