The Emergence of Jonathan Trot

The recently concluded Ashes series threw up many interesting things. In the beginning it appeared like a battle between two mediocre sides because the Aussies were unable to run through the batting order in time in the first test and England had its moments at Lords through a collective display and a flash of brilliance from Flintoff. However the Aussie victory in the third test ensured that the Kangaroos regained their composure and played top notch cricket as Stuart Clarke brought back memories of the relentless off-stump line of Glenn McGrath
Accurately viewed, the foremost gain is the emergence of a fine quality batsman in the form of Jonathan Trot for England. What it did to the English Cricket is that it reduced their overwhelming dependence on Kevin Pietersen-their most prolific batsman in recent years and who walked like a colossus on the cricket field. It added a lot of solidity to the fragile middle order.
Jonathan Trot is on occasions resembling Steve Waugh in not only his batting but also his walking on the field and in running between the wickets. It remains to be seen whether he will be able to tackle the spinners of the sub-continent, although on occasions while playing Marcus North, the Off-spinner, his batting style was similar to Rahul Dravid.
His innings of 41 & 119 are certainly eye-openers- Gritty and classy innings with a lot of entertainment and holding a lot of promise of a long career ahead. He may have to correct his technique against the in-swinging deliveries although it is a little too early to detect the defects. With his inclusion in the last and final outing, England certainly appeared to pull final ace of its sleeve and had the last laugh as he turned out to be their trump card. Thus his non-inclusion in the fourth test and the inclusion for the final test apparently appeared to be a strategic move by default rather than design as the Aussie bowlers did not appear to be prepared with his approach. Therefore everyone will hope that not only England but also World cricket will become richer and spectators will be entertained by this ‘great selection’!