Nightmare told Tresco Ashes dream was over

London: Marcus Trescothick has revealed how a bad dream involving an England kit bag helped him decide not to return to Test cricket for next week's Ashes decider.

Trescothick, who played the last of his 76 Tests in 2006 and announced his retirement from international cricket last year after suffering from a stress- related illness, had been touted as a solution to England's batting woes following their innings defeat in the fourth Test at Headingley. But he said he woke up "in a cold sweat" after his nightmare and has now ruled out the notion of a one-off comeback.

He said: "It has been very flattering to see my name mentioned in so many circles and I'd be a liar if I said the prospect of playing at The Oval hadn't occupied my mind a lot. In fact, that has been the case to such an extent that the other day I woke up at 6.30am from a terrible dream.

"There is a nightmare a lot of cricketers experience in which they can't get their pads on when they are due in to bat. My dream was a variation of that. I couldn't get my England kit out of my bag. The other players were waiting for me on the pitch to do a team photo so I was in a right panic. I woke up in a cold sweat.

"Perhaps that told me something. It gives me a massive kick that I am still thought good enough to come back and play at international level, but I've gone too far down the line in battling my stress problems to change my mind about ending my England career."