England, June26: Marcus Trescothick has already helped England win two of the four trophies on offer for them this summer. On Thursday, he will be the centre of attention as his team attempt a winning start in search of a third triumph. The NatWest Series kicks off at Trent Bridge with a match against Zimbabwe who, while eminently beatable, have a good record against England down the years. And Trescothick, man-of-the-series against Pakistan with two match-winning performances, says he is crossing his fingers for more of the same. "I hope I can continue on and have more weeks like I had", he said, before reflecting on the value of rest after the World Cup, and changing his stance when batting.

"I always try to get some time off after a tour. But this was important, and gave me time to reflect on my game. I returned to county cricket stronger. "And I've gone back to how I used to stand". England are likely to continue to show patience, for the time being at least, with Jim Troughton.

The Warwickshire left-hander twice got himself out against Pakistan when under no pressure and is yet to get a decent score under his belt.

Richard Johnson's best chance of getting a match would appear to be at the expense of Rikki Clarke, another who is still waiting to make a really big impact.

Against Zimbabwe, that may be a decent option though there would be valid fears the batting may be too weak against South Africa if four specialist bowlers were in the side. Alternatively, James Anderson could be granted a much-deserved rest.

Robert Key, Steve Harmison and Kabir Ali will surely get a match or two in due course, especially if England can win enough games early on to experiment a little. Zimbabwe made one change from the side who beat Essex quite convincingly at the weekend, with seamer Gary Brent replacing spinner Richard Sims.

Their batting is fragile, and it has got weaker with the absence of Stuart Carlisle (injury) and Mark Vermeulen (sent home on disciplinary grounds).

Bureau Report