So just how good is Jonathan Trott?

[keeper]

The right batsman at the right time against the right bowlers.

Capable of intense, frightening concentration and, as Xuhaib says, knows his own game very well. A bit of a throwback in some ways but I'm glad there is a batsman who can still build this type of Test innings.

Would be surprised if he is ahead of the pack after an extended career but any fall will be smooth and not dramatic I feel. A very good pick for England either way.

Interesting point about being picked at a mature age. This went the other way with Graeme Hick, when it was assumed by some that a lengthy spell in county cricket before playing for England meant his game hadn't been tested and developed at the right time.

 

[Xuhaib]

I think he's a better batsman then Hussy not sure how he will look when he's having a bad run but Hussey always came across someone with a weakness to a moving ball Trott is quite efficient in handling a moving ball.

 

[vcs]

What do Cricket South Africa have to do with anything?

The NZ/India pitches were very flat. India did well to win a test. If a smarter batting unit than NZ played India on those pitches the series had 0-0 written all over it.

Hmm.. the pitches were flat but I disagree. The first and third ones had enough for the bowlers and if our declaration in the third Test had not been disgustingly defensive, we'd have won it.

 

[Spark]

I struggle to see him doing a Hussey and not being able to place his off-stump to an area code, tbh. His game is much too... er... "compact" for that.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

To be honest the way he is playing he reminds me of Dravid at the crease, he won't score really quickly and hurt you that way but he will bat for ages and you have no idea how to get the bugger out. I think he is just in a purple patch of form like Vaughan had that one summer and Ashes winter and capitalising on it big time but you can't help but be impressed with his record.

I think if he was to play 50 tests his average will drop down to the early 50's but if anyone had said that before his debut we'd have all laughed. He has been superb so far, long may it continue.

On a side note if someone had said a year/18 months ago that Trott and Cook would both average more than KP and be more important to the side then we'd all have thought whoever said it was mad. Just shows how well those two are playing and how far KP has dropped off. Bell is averaging 67 in that time too.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah I said to my mate yesterday that if Strauss and KP start hitting runs, then we've got a very impressive batting line-up, on current form. We've got a tail who can really hammer home an advantage. However much you rate the bowling, our batting is the best it's been in a while.

 

[TumTum]

Has placing heaps of men in the leg side inside the circle been tried yet?

I don't think bowling wide of off-stump is really the way to go, he has no trouble out there.

 

[keeper]

Changing timelines makes a big difference but the averages since Trott's debut for the England top seven are:

Bell 68
Trott 67
Cook 61
Pietersen 41
Prior 38
Strauss 37
Collingwood 31

 

[The_roc]

he will bat for ages and you have no idea how to get the bugger out.

Unless you're South African

 

[Austerlitz]

Real calibre will be proved when he faces south africa and steyn again and when england comes to india.I'm sure that series will have its share of dustbowls.
People rated hughes as the new bradman after scoring twin hundreds vs steyn and co in his first series but he was worked out with his problem outside the off stump.Duminy started great vs aus but has been proved can't play spin.Mitchell johnson looked to be one the most destructive bowlers in terms of potential but then england worked him out.They figured out that he neither swung or seamed the ball and depended on bounce and his natural angle to get wickets ,they just left balls angling away knowing he didn't have the capability to bring them back.
So it will be a little time and some more series outside english conditions to make a judgement on trott.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I struggle to see him doing a Hussey and not being able to place his off-stump to an area code, tbh. His game is much too... er... "compact" for that.

Important point for me. His MO in tests is, essentially, very limited so he mightn't be such a slave to the vicissitdes of form as some more fluent-looking stroke makers.

He's a chap who knows his game inside out, has a few productive shots and the patience to ignore wide, harmless stuff some of batsmen who appear to have more shots in their armour would be suckered into. It might be because he grew up on the true decks of Cape Town, but he's one of the best leavers going.

The way I see him getting out most often would be the ball that comes into him. The clip off his pads is possibly his fav shot, so if we see a fit Zaheer in the summer it could be a fascinating contest. I do think tho Trott might have the discipline to dead bat Zak and milk some of the weaker links.

 

[weeman27bob]

I'm sure that of the batsmen that average or averaged over 55 in tests, Trott is by far the least exciting to watch.

 

[Jono]

People were praising Hussey's compact way of batting back in 2006 ftr

 

[GotSpin]

People were praising Hussey's compact way of batting back in 2006 ftr

Because Hussey was playing so much at home

 

[salman85]

Very good player,but i think he's suspect against balls moving into him at extreme pace.Shoaib Akhtar exploited that during the England tour last year and i think that is the one area where bowlers can get the better of him.Suprised that a lot of pacers haven't use that line of attack against him.

 

[vcs]

Because Hussey was playing so much at home

Hussey did very well in SA in 2006, didn't he?

 

[Xuhaib]

Very good player,but i think he's suspect against balls moving into him at extreme pace.Shoaib Akhtar exploited that during the England tour last year and i think that is the one area where bowlers can get the better of him.Suprised that a lot of pacers haven't use that line of attack against him.

Asif tried to but his slower pace meant Trott was able to block him out as I said earlier Roach and Steyn are the 2 most likely bowlers who will trouble him with Ishant Sharma being a potential third.

 

[GotSpin]

Hussey did very well in SA in 2006, didn't he?

Averaged 64 but with only a top score of 80 something. Decent though

 

[Jono]

Because Hussey was playing so much at home

My point wasn't to big-up Hussey. I'm saying that any prediction that Trott won't have as drastic form drops because his technique is compact may be true, but similar points were made re: Hussey.

 

[Xuhaib]

in essence Jono is right the reason Husssey was scoring was because he looked totally assured of his off stump which is again the case with Trott who knows couple of bad games and the confidence issue crops up like Hussey.