Jonathan Trott calls time on England career after humiliation in West Indies
It became evident in the first innings of the final Test that Trott still had difficulty coping with the short ball
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Your support makes all the difference.Jonathan Trott, the England batsman, has retired from international cricket. His decision, sad but perhaps inevitable, was announced on Monday night after his failed return to the Test team in the series against West Indies.
In his six innings, Trott made 72 runs which included three ducks. His recall was always a huge risk taken by the selectors. Trott left the Ashes tour in November 2013 with a stress-related condition after he was severely disrupted by the menace of Mitchell Johnson in Brisbane.
“This was a tough decision to make but I don’t feel my game is at the level you need to be at to play cricket for England,” said Trott. “I was honoured to be given the opportunity to play international cricket again and was sorry it didn’t work out.”
If it was not clear before, it became evident in the first innings of the final Test that Trott still had difficulty coping with the short ball. He shuffled into a bouncer from Shannon Gabriel and scooped it to square leg.
Trott will continue to play for Warwickshire and can be expected to prosper. After leaving Australia he went back to county cricket last summer and eventually settled down to have a profitable season.
The selectors were convinced he was ready to resume at the top level, reluctant to ditch a man who had played such a key part in England’s long run of success from 2009 to 2013, scoring nine hundreds and averaging in the mid-forties. But with the middle order full they multiplied their gamble by asking him to open.
“I’ve had some incredible highs and some real lows in an England shirt but wouldn’t change a thing,” he said.
Alastair Cook, the England captain, who was keen to have him back in the side, said Trott’s comeback had been testament to his character and spirit. “I speak on behalf of all this current team and all those who have shared a dressing room with him over the years when I say it was a privilege to play alongside him.”
Peter Moores, the England coach, rejected the suggestion that Trott’s recall had been a mistake, saying: “He earned the right to be on this trip. He went back to Warwickshire and got runs, went on the Lions trip, was the lead batter. Add to that the experience he had.
“We wanted to know whether he could fill a role opening the batting. We knew it was going to be tough, he’s batted at No 3 before, slightly different but it’s still up there, and that question needed to be answered.” It was and yesterday England had it in a way they cannot have envisaged.
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