Marcus Trescothick yesterday spoke of his Ashes misery and vowed to come through the mental torment and prosper.

Twelve months ago, Somerset left-hander Trescothick was deemed England's premier batsman, a mantle he has handed to opening partner Michael Vaughan.

While Vaughan was named man of the series against Australia, Trescothick made just 261 in ten innings.

The Australians clearly have his measure given his overall struggle against them, averaging 29 in his ten Ashes Tests.

A three-day break allowed Trescothick, Vaughan and Matthew Hoggard to climb Sydney Harbour Bridge with their girlfriends, and gave Trescothick the chance to view matters from a different perspective.

''It's hard when you are in the middle of it and everyone is scoring runs around you and you think you are the only one not doing well,'' he conceded.

''There is nothing better than scoring runs and when you know you haven't done it for a while you put pressure on yourself.

''I am probably adding to the pressure that's building up. It's been nice to have had a couple of days off this week just to relax and get away from everything.

''The Sydney Test match was hard mentally and physically, even though I wasn't batting much I still got hyped up and it was a big game.

''I have been working harder and harder all the time and maybe sometimes too hard.

''I think all that creates a problem - when you are working hard, practising and thinking hard you are switched on thinking about it the rest of the day.

''Your mind is going round and round thinking about what you are trying to do, so it's important once you leave the ground to switch off.''

Australia have exploited a marked vulnerability when the ball is within a hair's breadth of off-stump.

The series, which England lost 4-1, began well for Trescothick with 72 in Brisbane. But that was his solitary half-century as his innings bore comparison with the 2001 Ashes.

But Trescothick countered: ''I think this series is a bit different, I don't think you can compare this one to last time.

''Last time in England I should have done better than I did, I got three scores above 50 and didn't convert any of them.

''This time I was searching for form. I know I can do it, it's just a case of getting a few things right.''

Working alongside coach Duncan Fletcher, Trescothick, 27, is attempting to tinker with his technique to rectify the problems.

''I don't want to go into it too much, it's a very personal thing,'' he said. ''It's just a few technical things which can easily be put right over time.

''It's hard to do while you are playing. You have got to get it working so that you don't think about it and it takes plenty of time working in the nets. But I know it will come right.

''I have seen evidence of changes already but I have been playing 15 years of proper cricket with a certain way I play so I am only tweaking it a little bit.

''A couple of things crept in to my batting, it may have come from bad habits playing in one-day cricket."

Switching to the limited-overs format of the VB Series did not help. But with two months of solid one-day cricket beginning in Hobart on Saturday, against Australia, and taking in the World Cup, the focus becomes more specific.

One problem England envisage is how to incorporate the run-heavy Vaughan within the order.

The Yorkshireman has not been an automatic selection in the shorter form of the game and has never batted higher than four in a one-day international.

He bats in the middle-order for his county but his prime form has left a quandary - whether or not to split up usual opening pair Trescothick and Nick Knight, who made a century and 70 against the Aussies earlier in the tournament.

But Trescothick said: ''I don't see there's any need for me to drop down the order.