Trescothick Acknowledges Draw as a Potential Outcome for England in Edgbaston Test

Trescothick: England Aware of All Possible Outcomes in Edgbaston Test

England's assistant coach Marcus Trescothick has stated that the team is not ruling out a draw as a potential outcome on the final day of the Edgbaston Test. Despite England's publicly stated ambition to pursue any target in the fourth innings under the Stokes-McCullum leadership, the current situation may necessitate them settling for only their second home draw during this era.

England need 536 more runs on the final day of the Test with seven wickets in hand © Getty

With seven wickets in hand, England requires 536 more runs on the final day. Although batting conditions remain favorable, this is a substantial challenge. The average scoring rate in the first three innings has been a healthy 4.39. However, England would need to score at nearly six runs per over throughout the entire day, demanding a significant adaptation in their approach.

"We all probably appreciate that it's a hell of a lot of runs to try and score. It's 536 tomorrow and I don't think we've seen scoring rates quite that quick in a day, so of course it will be challenging. But we've probably about another 10 to 15 overs of the balls at the hardest point before it gets a little bit soft, and then we'll see how we're going from that point, really," Trescothick explained.

Trescothick further elaborated, "Whenever the situation is changing, of course it [the draw] is [a good result]. When you get to the point that you can [only] draw the game, of course. We're not stupid enough to [think] that you have to just win or lose. There are three results possible in every game that you play. But we have done some things in our time that are different to what we've done before."

While there is a forecast for rain on Sunday, potentially assisting England should they opt for a defensive strategy, Trescothick does not foresee the entire batting lineup adopting a purely defensive approach. "I don't think we use that sort of language," he said. "It's not the sort of changing room that we are. We're not naive enough to know (sic) that it's a very challenging total... Do you just go in your bunker and just sort of dig it out? Some players may do that."

He added, "You just don't know really, and it's [up to] individuals that can adapt to the game and understand what's happening. But you've got to understand our changing room is a different type of culture in terms of what we've done in the past."

Meanwhile, India's bowling coach Morne Morkel acknowledged that batting remains relatively easy on the Edgbaston pitch heading into the fifth day. He believes England's characteristic attacking style will make for a captivating contest, particularly during the middle overs when the Dukes ball softens and offers little assistance off the surface. "It's definitely going to be an exciting day of cricket. Harry [Brook] did say last night in the media that they're going to chase or go at everything or anything that we set for them."

"They're attacking players. That's their brand of cricket they want to play. They probably might have a go at it for a while and then reassess, but I think we are in for an exciting day of cricket. It's still fast-scoring, the wicket is still playing nicely, so let's see what tomorrow brings," Morkel concluded.