LONDON, Dec 25: England opener Marcus Trescothick has admitted that his dream of returning to Test cricket is being kept in check by his fears over succumbing to long-term illness.

The Somerset left-hander, who turned 32 on Tuesday, has not played at the highest level since August last year because of a stress-related illness which twice forced him to return at the start of high-profile overseas tours.

Trescothick made a comeback for his county last summer and appeared to suffer no significant ill-effects.

He will, however, make absolutely sure he is ready to go under the spotlight before he makes himself available to England again.

“I still have aspirations to do it,” said Trescothick, speaking just days after an out-of-sorts England lost their latest Test series in Sri Lanka.

He is, however, realistic about his prospects of a return – and cautious about doing the right thing too.

“I understand the older I get and longer I have been away it will be harder to do it,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.“One thing I will not do is I will not sacrifice my health to make it happen again. My life is more important after cricket.”—AFP