Marcus Trescothick: Somerset and ex-England batsman to retire at end of season

Marcus Trescothick scored 5,825 Test runs for England, including 14 centuries

Somerset and former England batsman Marcus Trescothick is to retire from cricket at the end of the season.

The 43-year-old - in his 27th campaign as a pro - featured in 76 Tests for England, playing a key role when they beat Australia to win the 2005 Ashes.

Opener Trescothick made his Somerset debut in 1993 and has gone on to score 19,654 first-class runs for the county.

"I'm extremely grateful for all the support that I've received throughout this remarkable journey," he said.

"I've been discussing my future with the club and my family for a while and we felt that now was the appropriate time to make this announcement in order for both the club and I to put plans in place."

Trescothick scored 5,825 Test runs at an average of 43.79 in an international career that spanned from 2000 to 2006.

He was one of his country's star performers across all formats during that time, also wracking up 4,335 one-day international runs - more than any other England opener.

But his England career was cut short by an ongoing battle with depression and anxiety, which forced him to leave a tour of India in February 2006 and then a tour of Australia the following winter.

He retired from international cricket in 2008, choosing to concentrate on playing for his county Somerset.

"Twenty-seven years is a long time, but it's gone incredibly quickly," said Trescothick. "I consider myself very fortunate to have had the opportunity to do something that I love for that length of time."

One of England's best-ever openers

Left-hander Trescothick, who stood in as England captain in two Tests and 10 ODIs, was recently voted in the country's all-time best one-day side by BBC Sport readers.

He enjoyed his best international form during the home 2005 Ashes, second only to Kevin Pietersen for most runs in the series, and becoming the fastest player to score 5,000 runs in Test cricket.

That contributed to him being named as one of Wisden's cricketers of the year in 2005, with the England team awarded MBEs in the 2006 New Year Honours list.

Trescothick struck three-half centuries during the 2005 Ashes win over Australia

Before that, Trescothick had scored more than 1,000 Test runs in both 2003 and 2004 - his best score of 219 coming against South Africa at The Oval in 2003.

He left England's tour of India early in 2006 because of what was described as a "stress-related illness" - and, though he returned to the fold, Trescothick would also return home from the 2006 Ashes tour in Australia before a ball had been bowled.

His candid autobiography, Coming Back to Me, was published in 2008, and told of his battle with the illness.

'A sad day for cricket'

England fast bowler James Anderson, who made his one-day international debut in 2002 and played alongside Trescothick, said the opener would "walk into this England side at his best".

"I feel it's a sad day for cricket," Anderson, 36, said on BBC Test Match Special. "He's been an amazing servant to England and Somerset. I am privileged to have played alongside him.

"I honestly think he had the potential to be the top England run scorer of all time in both ODIs and Tests. He was that good.

"It's been an incredible career to play for as long as he has and with the quality he has. It's an amazing achievement.

"As a person and a team-mate, he was really special."

Going out on a high with Somerset?

Trescothick's 52 first-class centuries, 7,374 List A runs and 445 first-class catches are all Somerset records.

He helped the county win the One-Day Cup in 2001 and the Twenty20 Cup four years later.

"This club, the members and the supporters mean so much to me," said Trescothick.

"There are so many memories that I will cherish forever, and the club will always hold a truly special place in my heart."

In 2016 he resigned as Somerset captain after two years in the role, a decision that was "mutually agreed" with the club and saw ex-Australia batsman Chris Rogers take over.

Somerset have finished second in two of the past three County Championship campaigns, missing out to Middlesex in 2016 by just four points - though Trescothick could yet win the elusive trophy this season, with Somerset top of Division One after seven matches.

However, the veteran was dropped earlier this month due to poor form this term, averaging just 10.75 from eight innings.

"There's still a lot of the season left, and I'll be doing everything I can to put in performances for the second XI in order to force my way back into contention for the first team," he said.

'The best vice captain I could've wished for'

Following the announcement of Trescothick's retirement, tributes to England's "greatest-ever opening batter" came flooding in via social media...

Former England captain Michael Vaughan: "The best VC (vice captain) I could ever have wished for. Such a great guy to have around any team. Unbelievable player and a true gent. Just don't steal his sausages! Banger @Trescricket is one of the greats of English cricket. I really hope you win the Championship as a send off."

Ex-England batsman Kevin Pietersen: "He was England's GREATEST ever opening batter - @Trescricket. If he didn't succumb to an unfortunate issue, he'd have broken every record for England! Happy retirement buddy! Love ya!"

Former England batsman Nasser Hussain: "Well done @Trescricket on a career to be truly proud of. One of the finest I ever played with and without doubt the best team man anyone could wish for!"

Somerset all-rounder Peter Trego: "The proudest thing in my cricket career was walking out to open for @SomersetCCC and having my name called after Somerset's greatest batsman @Trescricket. We shared some great partnerships over the years and kept the running to a minimum... fair play Bang!... fair play!"