'Stressed-out' Jonathan Trott to take another break from cricket

Jonathan Trott

London: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Friday confirmed that batsman Jonathan Trott is to take another break from all cricket with immediate effect.

Trott, who pulled out of England's tour of Australia and spent four months out of the game with what the ECB described as a "stress-related illness", experienced a repeat of the same symptoms after playing for his county Warwickshire against Sussex on Wednesday.

Jonathan Trott. File Pic

A statement released jointly by the ECB and Warwickshire said Trott "will now undergo further treatment to assist with his long-term rehabilitation."

Trott himself said: "It was with the best intentions and hope that I returned to cricket with Warwickshire this month.

"Much to my disappointment, since my first game, I have felt the same anxieties that occurred during my time in Australia.

"It is not fair on my team-mates or myself to continue when I am unable to function at 100 per cent. In order to play at the highest level you have to be at 100 per cent and be able to concentrate fully at all times. Sadly I am unable to do this.

"With this in mind I have decided it is best for all involved that I continue my recovery on the sidelines for the time being."

Trott, who turns 33 next week, pulled out of the Ashes tour after the first Test in Brisbane and spent four months away from the game working with a psychologist and the ECB's medical team in a bid to rebuild his career.

The South African-born player later described his Ashes exit as a case of "burn-out" and said he hoped to return to England duty this season, but his comeback with Warwickshire has lasted one game, in which he scored 37 and 26.

Trott has played in 49 Tests for England, scoring nine centuries and 18 half-centuries.

He has scored 3,763 Test runs at an average of 46.45, with a highest score of 226 against Bangladesh at Lord's in 2010.

Trott was twice dismissed cheaply by fast bowler Mitchell Johnson in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane and appeared to struggle with the short ball.

Speaking weeks before news of Trott's relapse, former England captain Michael Vaughan had criticised the batsman for playing down the illness in a television interview.

"I feel a little bit conned we were told Jonathan Trott's problems in Australia were a stress-related illness he had suffered for years," Vaughan said.

"We were allowed to believe he was struggling with a serious mental health issue and treated him with sensitivity and sympathy.

"He was obviously not in a great place but he was struggling for cricketing reasons and not mental, and there is a massive difference."