Like a kid given a new toy to play with, Marcus Trescothick just loves tucking in gleefully when England start a fresh series. Trescothick's punishing 119 against Zimbabwe was the latest example of him opening up with a bang. It all started on his debuts in 2000, when he made 79 in his first one-day international, against Zimbabwe at The Oval - he and Ben Hollioake are the only Englishman to make fifties on their international debuts in the last 14 years - and 66 and 38 not out in his first Test, against West Indies at Old Trafford. The following winter he began the Test series with 71 against Pakistan at Lahore, and when England moved on to Sri Lanka, Trescothick played outstandingly well for 122 and 57 in a match when no other Englishman reached 50. Fast forward a year, and he was clubbing an heroic 121 in the first one-dayer against India at Kolkata, and when he returned to the side this summer after breaking his thumb, Trescothick marked his first Test of the Indian series with robust innings of 57 and 58 not out.

In both Test and one-day cricket, Trescothick averages comfortably more in his first match of a series than in the games that follow. In Tests, his average is 54.40 as against 37.87 in other games. In one-dayers the figures are 43.00 and 38.21.

So, why the dichotomy? It might be fatigue - that certainly seemed the case on the subcontinent in 2000-01 - or maybe bowlers find Trescothick out a little. Then again, it could be the opposite: perhaps Trescothick's uncomplicated technique and considerable sang-froid allow him to strut confidently into a series - just as he habitually races to 20 at a run a ball without batting an eyelid - when other players might take more tentative baby steps. Either way, England would settle for another fast start when the Ashes series gets underway at Brisbane on November 7.

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