troubles.
The media have been all out over the last 24 hours looking for someone to blame over Jonathan Trott’s decision to come home from the Ashes tour with stress/depression related issues.
From David Warner – why would anyone pay attention to anything he says? – to the England management set-up – how could they let him go?
– but funnily not themselves, with a bit of help from the management.
Some of the media have shown regret over comments they made after his batting, especially in the second innings of the recent stuffing England took in the first Test. But none have mentioned their constant carping about Trott’s style of play since he entered the scene that’s probably led to this.
Apparently Trott has suffered from this since he first came into the side in 2009. What is it about cricket? There seems to be an excessive number of players, ex-players with some sort of depression and a number of suicides that’s looks out of proportion. So he’s had the illness but managed to manage it. Playing in his own way, a way in which he’s comfortable and scoring runs can only have helped, it takes some of the pressure off when fighting to keep your place when you can point to hundreds and a cracking average, helping to the team to their peak.
But some didn’t like that. Well they didn’t pick him in the first place, not a chosen one and all that grinding out runs, not giving you wicket away, it’s old fashioned and boring. This is the Twenty20 era. They whinged and moaned every time Trott came out to bat, picking at his scratching at the crease and time taken to face deliveries.
So eventually, especially after some of the criticism of his one day innings, things started to change. Who decided this, I don’t know but you can imaging management having a word after reading the papers. Trott’s style changed from protecting his wicket to being proactive
as he proactively got out cheaply and that brilliant average dropped as the runs dried up. And with runs becoming a struggle and crease occupation being reduced some of that comfort zone that got him through previous series both home and away was taken away.
And lets not forget while the media ask how he was allowed on this tour, he absolutely destroyed this lot last time he was down under. Doing exactly what England required. Dropping anchor. It’s what England needed when he first played, it’s what the desperately need now not some flighty Pietersen clone.