Trott keeps onus on calm accumulation
There are plenty of astounding numbers when it comes to Jonathan Trott's one-day batting: a gravity-defying average of 54.61 despite remaining unbeaten only twice; the 13 times he has crossed 50 in 23 attempts; the record-equalling dash to 1000 runs in a mere 21 innings, matching the mark of Viv Richards and Kevin Pietersen, and a spot in the top ten in the ICC rankings. Yet, the stats that define his batting for most people seems to be the strike-rate of 77.76, deemed to be too lethargic for the pell-mell pace of today's one-day cricket.
Perhaps it's the lack of a wow-factor in his batting. There are no thrilling flourishes a la Eoin Morgan (who has a comparable career strike-rate to Trott) or Pietersen, which mean his low-risk, old-school run-making is overlooked. Added to that is the time-consuming crease-scratching that precedes nearly every delivery he faces, which has prompted plenty of complaints from opponents, and not made him a fan favourite.
There hasn't been much praise coming his way in the World Cup as well, though he has been among the most consistent batsmen, racking up four half-centuries in five matches, one of the few steady performers in England's topsy-turvy campaign so far. He began with a bustling half-century that ensured the hefty target set by Netherlands remained in sight, he followed up with a run-a-ball 92 against Ireland that was overlooked in the commotion of Ireland's upset, and continued with two reviving fifty-plus scores against South Africa and Bangladesh after the top-order had folded cheaply.
"I'm not too sure why my batting attracts criticism, I don't know," Trott told reporters after England's training session in Chennai on Tuesday. "People are entitled to their own judgment, as long as I'm being effective, and I work hard, and [England coach] Andy Flower … whatever he says is more important to me than whatever other people and the media say."
Trott said there was no confusion in his mind over what his role for the team was as a No. 3 batsman. "Getting as many runs as I can," he said, "at as close to a run a ball as possible, sometimes better than that if the situation demands it and the conditions allow for it."
There are no sixes in his one-day career so far, but he remained confident he can pull out the big hits when the team needed it. "You haven't watched me play much Twenty20 for Warwickshire?" he asked, a format in which he has hit 32 sixes in domestic competitions. "Big field in Edgbaston as well.
"Well, I hit a few one-bounce fours in Australia," he said with a grin, before adding, "it's one of those things where it is determined by the situation, trying to hit hard along the ground, the outfields are quick enough around the world to get the boundaries. If I start hitting the ball in the air and getting caught in the boundary, you guys will probably have a go anyway."
The questions about Trott's batting were amplified in the wake of his stabilising 67 against Bangladesh, in which he seemed unable to increase the momentum towards the end, striking only two fours in his innings, before perishing attempting a big hit in the batting Powerplay.
"I could have perhaps hit a few more boundaries here and there in that game," he said. "With the ball turning away from the left-arm spinners, and keeping a bit low, it was a bit difficult to play big shots, risking hitting over the ring and have a situation where we have a new batsman in, it was similar to the South Africa game [when a steadying 52 consumed 94 balls]. I think we came unstuck in the Powerplays."
The batting Powerplay has proved a stumbling block for several teams in this tournament, who have either failed to time it correctly, or lost a heap of wickets while trying to be over-attacking, and Trott admitted that managing the Powerplays was a challenge.
"You can get caught up in the Powerplay as a batsman," he said. "As a batsman, changing your mindset is something that can be dangerous as well. There are certain wickets you can do it on, the flat ones like Bangalore. But on the slower ones, trickier ones, especially against spinners, you have to play it through the arc, you can't play it behind you. It's about weighing the options and using your strengths as a batsman."
Trott, too, needs to maintain his focus on his strengths, remain unbothered by the barbs about his generally go-slow batting, and leave the flash strokeplay to the finishers lower down the order. With England on the brink of an early World Cup exit, it's hardly the time to be complaining about cool heads.
ICC World Cup 2011
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