Share

Trott: I'm not depressed

London - England batsman Jonathan Trott said mental "burnout" was behind his sudden withdrawal from England's Ashes tour of Australia and he is now eager to resume his international career.

Trott left the tour after England were thrashed in the first test in November with what was reported to be a "stress-related" illness, but the South Africa-born 32-year-old has refuted suggestions he was suffering with depression.

"People come up to you and say, 'it's good to see you're out and about' and I'm like, 'I'm not crazy I was just burnt out!'," Trott said in an interview to be aired by Sky Sports on Sunday.

Trott's second-innings dismissal by Mitchell Johnson at the Gabba was described by Australian batsman David Warner as "weak", prompting then England coach Andy Flower to accuse the hosts of being disrespectful to the ailing batsman.

"It's pretty difficult to put into words the emotions to walk away from an Ashes tour - it's something I never thought I'd have to do and something I hope no cricketer has to do again," Trott said.

"It was the right decision no doubt, it was something that came about through no one else's fault other than the situation I found myself in wanting to do so well for England.

"I don't think there's anything else the ECB or the guys on tour could have done differently. I tried my hardest and ended up finding out myself I had nothing left to give.

"It was very difficult for me to operate close to 100 percent or even 50 percent of what I was capable of.

"I remember day two or day three, it was a bit of a blur, I was getting headaches and all sorts of things and I wasn't eating properly towards the end and that's when the sleep started getting disruptive and emotionally that was probably when I was worst and it just boiled over.

"I had nothing left in the tank or the battery - mentally and emotionally pretty drained and had nothing left to give really."

Trott said he had felt guilty leaving his team mates to toil away for the rest of the series they lost 5-0.

"I'd experienced a lot of success with England and a lot of good times and not many bad times and seeing the guys struggling out there was pretty tough in that I should have been there going through the tough times," he said.

Trott is now looking forward to the start of the English domestic season with county side Warwickshire and is targeting a return to the international stage against Sri Lanka.

"I think as long as I'm feeling OK with myself and where my game's at I think playing international cricket is fine, it's not that much different," Trott said.

"There's obviously the scrutiny and everything but it's how I feel about my own game and how I feel going forward."

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1472 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2251 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE