Jonathan Trott
Jonathan Trott retired from international cricket this month. This was just a formal announcement. Mentally, he was finished since the Brisbane Test of 2013-14 Ashes where Mitchell Johnson, tore apart Jonathan Trott, the batsman and Jonathan Trott, the man.
It was a sad end to a career which has had the 'Highest highs' and 'Lowest lows'. While reading an article on him titled "Trott's Moment of Defeat", I was moved by the last three lines, beautifully written by George Dobell.
The essence of these lines was basically the fact that while his last series was his lowest ebb as a cricketer, it was his finest as a man. As Dobell wrote, it was nothing short of heroic. Trott was psyched out by Mitchell Johnson and his fiery bouncers.
For non cricketers, it may seem unfamiliar, but as somebody who plays cricket, I can tell you that the bouncer affects batsmen in all ways possible. It not only affects your game, but also your personality. It is often perceived that being doubtful or weak against the short ball makes you a coward.
Criticism flows in from all quarters if you are a suspect of the short ball. Nobody spares you. Nobody. This is damaging enough for a club level player, let alone Trott, who faced this problem in the biggest series of them all, the Ashes. Under fire from the media and from all possible corners, Trott broke down.
It was a culmination of everything. His technical weakness in playing the short ball, the thought of feeling cowardly, both as a cricketer and as a man, the stigma attached to it and the no-holds-barred, insensitive attack by the media as well as a few former cricketers.
Mitchell Johnson of looks towards Jonathan Trott during the Gabba Test in Brisbane, Australia in 2013
This resulted in him going back home after just one match. When it became clear why, all those guilty of questioning his courage apologised. But the damage had been done. Most thought he was finished, there were only a few who had faith in him.
Trott returned home to his family, sought medical help and started the journey to his recovery. He did what he was best at, played county cricket and amassed a mountain of runs. But the demons of the short ball continued, not very prominent, but still there.This in itself was a commendable feat. He was playing cricket, with a nerve-racking fear of a fast, dangerous and a hard leather ball. We face our fears once and boast about it for a lifetime. Trott faced his fear every single day, in the nets, on the field.
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