Poor old Marcus Trescothick. He is apparently suffering a relapse of his stress-caused depression and is on his way home - leaving the team without half of its Ashes winning opening combination.

While mental illness is certainly no laughing matter, it is very hard not to poke some fun at this bizarre turn of events. On the surface, the problem seems fairly obvious, Trescothick woke up and realised he’s playing for England, soul-destroying in itself, but also opening the batting against the best bowling attack in the world. That Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Brett Lee & Co. have revenge as their main motivation only makes them more intimidating. That’s enough to stress even the Dalai Lama, let alone a neurotic Englishman.

The form of the Poms, thus far, has been somewhat underwhelming. They were flogged by the PM’s XI and managed a draw in a 14-a-side three-day match against New South Wales. Some comfort can probably be gained from the fact that they weren’t embarrassed by the NSW quicks, who will form the backbone of the Aussie Test line-up, but they are a long way from being a dominant force. Personally, I think that they’ll be spanked in this series and that the Ashes will end up home where they belong.

The lead-up to the first Test is causing a lot of public debate regarding the makeup of the Aussie side, with most focus on who will fill the third pace spot. There are a number of likely contenders. Shaun Tait is bowling with fire and aggression and at his best is terrifying; however, he can be loose and expensive when not quite on song. Stuart Clark, who had a stellar tour of South Africa earlier this year and is in pretty good touch, must also be close to the top of the list. Queensland’s Mitchell Johnson is also in the mix and, as a leftie, would add a bit of variety to the star-studded attack.

One name that has been completely overlooked, however, is Jason Gillespie. Exactly why Dizzy is being ignored is something of a mystery. His last Test outing, in Bangladesh in April this year, saw him wrap up both the player of the match and series awards. He took eight wickets in the series and also scored a double century and, although it was only against Bangladesh, was bowling something like the Dizzy of old. If he is dropped, he may well be the first player in Test history to be axed after scoring a double ton. My guess, which is as good as anyone’s, is that the two available spots in the Aussie line-up, numbers six and ten, will be filled by Michael Clarke and Stuart Clark respectively.