Birthday special: Jonathan Trott – England’s run-machine at number three
He played 52 Test matches for his country between 2009 and 2015. And, he accumulated impressive numbers in the whites. Jonathan Trott scored 3835 runs with the willow for England in Test match cricket and scored them at an average of 44.08. He also plundered 9 centuries and 19 half-centuries for the England side in the white flannels.
In fact, Trott played a crucial role for the England outfit at the No.3 position. In the table below, let us take a look at Trott’s numbers at No.3 to understand his value to the side in Test match cricket.
| Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s |
| 73 | 3109 | 45.72 | 7 | 15 |
From the above table, we can understand Trott’s value in the England batting line up at the pivotal No.3 slot. Out of the 3835 runs that he scored in his career, he scored 3109 of them at No.3. Also, 7 out of his 9 Test hundreds and 15 out of his 19 fifties in the whites came at the No.3 slot as well.
In fact, the 203 that Trott scored against Sri Lanka at Sophia Gardens in 2011 will rank as the crown jewel of his career. In a vigil that lasted 409 deliveries, the right-hander plundered a classic double century with the willow to help his side wallop the opposition by an innings and 14 runs.
Another gem from Trott’s willow came at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the 2010 Ashes series. Trott scored 168* off 345 deliveries to power the England side to an innings and 157-run victory over Australia.
However, his final days in Test cricket were not something that he can remember with fondness. In his last 8 innings in the longest format of the game, Trott registered 6 single-digit scores and looked out of sorts. He played his last Test match for England in the year 2015.
For the majority of his career though, Trott was England’s go-to man at the No.3 slot. As the England cricketer turns 40 today, let us wish him a happy birthday.
