Tresco damages England Twenty20 hopes

England's chances of glory in the Twenty20 World Cup, which starts in South Africa in September 11 are slim...and slim just left town.

The annoucement that Marcus Trescothick will not take part in the competition, or any of England's winter tours, because he is still suffering from a stress related illness means that a good few points should be added to their outright price, which is currently best at 11-1 with Paddy Power.

Trescothick had been named in England's 30-man provisional squad for the inaugural tournament but felt he had not recovered sufficiently to take part.

"Whilst I have been enjoying my cricket for Somerset this summer and feel that I am making good progress, I need to ensure that I am completely ready for a return to international cricket before making myself available for selection," he explained in a statement.

"I recently informed the selectors that I was happy to be included in the 30-man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup to leave all options open, but I am now clear that I should take more time to complete my recovery. I still have ambitions to play for England."

The absence of Trescothick robs England of one of only three world class one-day batsmen, the others being Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood.

He leaves a hole at the top of the order which the Three Lions have been unable to fill since the left-hander became ill at the start of the Ashes tour.

With fast-scoring so important in Twenty20 and a dearth of batsmen capable of putting bat to ball in an effective manner in the international arena, England's chances look blown.

Unsurprisingly Australia are 5-2 favourites with Totesport to add the Twenty20 crown to their 50-overs crown. Hosts South Africa are 6-1 second favourites with the same firm while Sporting Odds may see plenty of interest in their 10-1 about Pakistan.

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