Marcus Trescothick has faith in England’s blueprint of giving youth a chance despite a 12th defeat in 18 ODIs, insisting the environment they are building is “new, fresh and exciting”.
In the absence of the injured Jos Buttler and several Test stars, England have turned to their fringe players in the Caribbean but a slipshod batting display underpinned a series-opening loss in Antigua.
Each of the top six got to double figures but no one reached fifty in England’s under-par total of 209, with the West Indies reaching a rain-adjusted target of 157 in 35 overs with eight wickets to spare.
But England’s interim white-ball head coach Trescothick, who fielded four debutants in Jordan Cox, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton and John Turner on Thursday, trusts they are on the right path.
“I think you can see from the plan of the England team in the last year, and maybe a little bit further back, how much we want to invest in the next generation,” the former England opener said.
“Coming into these sorts of environments is new, fresh and exciting. Anyone making their debut is not thinking about the amount of games England have lost at white-ball cricket in the last year and a half.
“They’re probably so nervous, they can’t think about any games that have happened in the last six months. It’s an opportunity for them to show what they can do.
“It’s a great time to get these players in. I appreciate that you’d love to bring them in after winning 10 games in a row, of course, but that’s not always possible.”
Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook labelled England’s batting display “confused and uncertain”, with several players guilty of trying to muscle over the in-field on a slow pitch only to be be caught.
But Cox and Mousley were playing in their first competitive 50-over games in three years and 20 months respectively, while Adil Rashid’s haul of 140 ODI caps was more than his 10 team-mates combined.
Asked whether England could have included a top-order batter adjusted to the rhythms of the format who may have been able to stabilise the innings, such as James Vince or Sam Hain, Trescothick demurred.
“You can see the direction of where we’re trying to go, and that means blood in the next guys coming through,” Trescothick said.
“Playing people who have played before probably goes against the mantra of what we’re trying to do. I could give you five different examples of where we could go, but that’s not what we are trying to do.
“The opportunities are there for the guys to come in. That’s what they’re going to get. They’re going to pick up what it’s like to play in the Caribbean and they’ll be better for it.
“But the opportunity to stand up in (three ODIs and five T20s), you’re going to be further up the ladder than you were six days ago.”
Brendon McCullum is set to become head coach of all England’s men’s sides in January, with Trescothick holding down the fort of the white-ball outfits until then, after which he will take up a new role.
“We’ve got a bit of a plan behind the scenes but nothing has been confirmed as such,” Trescothick said. “I am not going to say where it’s all going to sit, because it would probably give it away too much.”
England were due to train at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Friday, the scene of the controversial Stanford Super Series, shifted there due to Antigua Independence Day celebrations in North Sound.
But with the must-win second ODI getting under way on Saturday – less than 36 hours after the conclusion of the series opener – the tourists elected not to practice.