Decision is for keeps

Trescothick says he is not a long-term wicket-keeper

BBC Sport Online's Martin Gough examines the wicket-keeping options available to England in the run-up to the World Cup.

Alec Stewart will not have been pleased to watch England's humiliation in Wellington on Saturday.

The veteran is deeply patriotic and cannot have taken pleasure in the hardships suffered by his former team-mates.

But he may just have permitted himself a smile when he saw Marcus Trescothick emerge from the pavilion sporting the wicket-keeper's gloves for the third time this year.

On the other two occasions, the Somerset left-hander was standing in for James Foster - once in a warm-up match and then when the youngster suffered stomach trouble in Kanpur.

But by the second match of their series in New Zealand, England had double trouble.

Foster had taken the blame for seven missed catches in six matches since New Year and England's middle order was failing to fire.

The young wicket-keeper has a top one-day score of 13 and his omission opened up an extra spot for a batsman.

Fourteen matches

Stewart has offered a solution to both problems in the past, often taking the gloves and opening the batting, but with the 38-year-old passed over for this trip, Trescothick offered the only hope.

England had hoped that they would be able to use this string of 11 limited-overs matches, after the five in Zimbabwe in October, to settle Foster into the side and cement a line-up for next year's World Cup.

Foster has only batted in the lower order so far

But they could well be left at the end of this series casting around for another man to fill the role of wicket-keeper/batsman in the 14 remaining one-dayers between this series and the World Cup.

While the home NatWest Series may offer a final chance to experiment, the triangular tournament in Australia should simply be a matter of fine-tuning and finding form.

Other sides appear unencumbered by the dilemma.

Although they are again experimenting with big-hitting opener Chris Nevin behind the stumps, New Zealand could always fall back on Adam Parore, who has a one-day century to his name.

And the world's two leading sides - South Africa and Australia - have Mark Boucher and Adam Gilchrist, both keepers capable of holding their own as batsmen.

Always available

Stewart will be almost 40 by the time the World Cup gets under way.

And, although the selectors have envisaged a problem in the past, it was only at the end of last season that they seemed to give up on him making the tournament.

Stewart underwent elbow surgery this winter

Chris Read took the gloves in 1999, after the disappointment of the last World Cup, and was identified a potential long-term replacement, with a possible four years to settle into the side.

But with Stewart always available to fill in should a short-term need arise, Read lasted no longer than a disappointing one-day tournament in South Africa before he returned to Nottinghamshire.

Despite a Test-best 37 at Lord's during that summer against New Zealand, he has done little since to suggest a return to the fold.

Stewart's elbow surgery, though, required three months out of the game, and afforded Foster a good shot at the job.

But he has yet to bat higher than nine in the one-day order and, while he has had chances to learn in the field, he has had precious little opportunity to shine at the crease.

During the Test series in India, he displayed maturity in learning from early mistakes with the bat, cutting out the sweep shot which had seen him dismissed lbw twice in the first match.

Foster made scores of 40 and 48 during that series, but took his time to accumulate runs, suggesting he was not up to the task of keeping the scoreboard ticking with overs running out.

If they are reluctant to allow Foster to do anything other than dip a toe in the water of batting under pressure, England have few other options at their disposal.

Little alternative

Trescothick is adamant that he is deputising only as a short-term measure and batting failures in both matches may indicate that he finds opening and keeping too much of a burden.

Kenway practised his keeping in Australia

A look through the county ranks reveals only veteran specialist keepers or youngsters in the Foster mould.

Hampshire's Derek Kenway and new Middlesex vice-captain Andrew Strauss have both been encouraged to improve their skills with the gloves while under Rod Marsh at the England Academy.

But, as neither keep wicket regularly at first-class level, they would face a steeper learning curve even than Foster to be ready in time for South Africa 2003.

If Foster is not to be eased higher in the order, and Trescothick is not to be convinced, there would appear to be just one serious option open to England.

And he is at home in Surrey, awaiting the call.