Former England batsman Jonathan Trott retires from first class cricket

Former England batsman Jonathan Trott, who remained a vital cog in the team’s successful run from 2009 till 2013 wherein they briefly became world No 1, will be retiring from all forms of cricket at the end of this season.

Trott who announced retirement from international cricket in May 2015, has continued to play county cricket in England. However, the ICC Cricketer of the Year 2011, has said he will be playing his last game for Warwickshire at the end of this season.

“Choosing to retire at the end of the season is something that I have spoken about at length with my family and this is now the right time to look at the next chapter of my career,” Trott was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

“It hasn’t been that difficult a decision. When you have played at a club (Warwickshire) for as long as I have it is important that not only is the decision right for you but it’s also right for the club,” he added.

Trott, who scored 245 on debut for Warwickshire second XI, had also scored a Test debut ton for England — 119 in the second innings at The Oval against Australia in 2009 — after scoring 41 in the first essay.

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He had to wait for his second century in Test cricket but when it came, Trott ensured it was a colossal effort. Facing 349 balls and striking 20 fours, Trott scored 226 runs at Lord’s in May 2010 to showcase his appetite for big scores.

After making the first impression in the Ashes 2009, Trott ended as the third highest run-getter in Ashes 2010-11 Down Under, assisting England to their first win in the opponents’ backyard in 28 years. With scores of 135* at Brisbane — in which he added 329 with Alastair Cook to deny Australia a victory, 78 at Adelaide and 168* at Melbourne, Trott amassed 445 runs at 89 over five Tests.

The year 2012 was decorated with two superlative knocks in the Indian subcontinent — 112 against Sri Lanka at Galle and 143 versus India at Nagpur — with the latter helping England recording an elusive series win in India.

With three fifties in the Ashes 2013 in England, Trott may not have played a strong role but he continued to be one of their key batsman.

However, the disintegration began in mid 2013 when a certain Mitchell Johnson and Australia derived a plan to attack Trott on the leg side with short balls, and a cricketer who already had mental issues to deal with, found the going extremely tough when England reached Australia for Ashes 2013-14.

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Trott’s teammate and former England captain Kevin Pietersen has extensively written about the mental state of the former, in his book ‘KP: The Autobiography’. Pietersen wrote that despite him asking England management (including coach Andy Flower), Trott did not receive any help.

Trott was among a few cricketers who returned home between the Ashes series, and despite making a comeback in mid 2015, the Cape Town-born cricketer announced his retirement from International cricket.

He played 52 Tests and scored 3,835 runs at 44.08 with nine centuries and 19 fifties for England from 2009-2015. In 68 ODIs, Trott made 2,819 runs at an even better average of 51.25 with four centuries and 22 fifties.

A remarkable Test batsman, Trott also appeared in seven T20Is for England and scored a fifty as well.