 Langer is a big fan of former Ashes rival Trescothick |
Somerset captain Justin Langer has hit back at critics of Marcus Trescothick who do not take his concerns about touring with England seriously. The opener, who for 18 months has battled a stress-related illness, is unsure over whether he wants to play in the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa.
"It's a really hard thing to do, to go away from your family," the former Australia star Langer told BBC Sport.
"I challenge anyone to leave their kids for three months."
He added: "It was the biggest reason why I gave up playing Test cricket. The thought of going away for six or seven or eight weeks or even three months without my kids - I just didn't fancy it anymore.
"I got quite upset with a bloke at a dinner the other night who said 'Marcus Trescothick - what's his problem? He's just playing a game for a living'.
"To us it's our business, it's not just a game. It's been my whole life for probably 20 years and it's a bit more than just a game to us and it's the same with Marcus.
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Trescothick has not featured for England since the one-dayers against Pakistan last year but the team has struggled in his absence in limited-overs cricket.
Although he has been named in the provisional 30-man squad for the two-week long tournament in September, he admitted it was not certain whether he would be included in the final 15 on 11 August.
Langer, who retired from international cricket earlier this year after scoring more than 7,500 runs in 105 Tests over 14 years, believes his fellow left-hander will make a big difference when he returns to the fold.
"He's undoubtedly one of the best players in England," he added.
"It's been nice having him play for Somerset, he's a fantastic player and a great influence around the changing room.
"He's got fantastic enthusiasm, he loves the game and he's a great team man."
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Interview: Somerset captain Justin Langer