But his unbeaten 66, scored from 224 balls and including only four boundaries was just the job for Sri Lanka. He shared a stand of 126 for the third wicket with Mahela Jayawardene, who stroked six boundaries in his 55.
The innings, though, was turning into a nightmare for Trescothick. The unofficial vice-captain snatched at a straightforward slip chance when Samaraweera, on 12, dabbed a cut against Ashley Giles straight at him.
Then, with the No3 having toiled to 46, Trescothick boobed again. This time Andrew Flintoff was the bowler - and a snicked, backfoot forcing shot fell to earth.
No wonder England's left-handed opener wanted to make amends. But his first bowl in Test cricket for more than two years represented a highly ambitious attempt to undo some damage.
Frankly, though, Vaughan had to try something different.
His three frontline pace bowlers - James Kirtley, Andrew Flintoff and Jimmy Anderson - had dragged little life out of a docile pitch.
As for spinners Gareth Batty and Giles, well, they earned reasonable marks for economy. But if the amount of turn achieved by the pair today could be measured it would probably fall short of that engineered by Muttiah Muralitharan during a single over yesterday.
Only Sylvester the Cat and the Pink Panther, England's two costume-clad supporters, looked unworried as Sri Lanka's total trickled upwards. Mind you, it's hard to tell what they are thinking at the best of times.
It was easier to spot the concern on Thorpe's face.
England had just broken an alarming first wicket stand of 71 with Kirtley finding the outside edge of Kumar Sangakkara's bat for Trescothick to show just how easy he can make slip catching look.
But then Jayasuriya, on 38, sliced Flintoff to backward point where a diving Thorpe reached but could not grasp a low, righthanded opportunity.
Sri Lanka's veteran opener eventually fell for 85 - caught by Trescothick in the slips, couldn't you just guess, after a faulty drive against the persevering Flintoff.
