West Indies vs England: Jonathan Trott lowers sights for return to fold as England opener

Trott will return to England's side as an opening batsman in the first Test here against West Indies on Monday

Jonathan Trott (left) will open the batting for England alongside Alastair Cook (REUTERS)

Three days away from an extraordinary return to Test cricket, Jonathan Trott reflected yesterday on the breakdown which forced him into exile. “I set myself unrealistically high expectations that I couldn’t achieve,” he said. “It just started building and I couldn’t see the wood from the trees.

“I think it was a culmination of a lot of cricket and just having an imbalanced perspective of what I needed to do to succeed – what was expected of me from my team-mates.”

Trott will return to England’s side as an opening batsman in the first Test here against West Indies on Monday, 17 months after leaving England’s tour of Australia. His game and his mind unravelled in the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane against the pace and hostility of Mitchell Johnson.

It seemed improbable then that Trott would add to his 49 Test caps. But he was determined to rebuild his game and his resolve. One comeback with Warwickshire was aborted but an introduction to the sports psychologist Steve Peters appeared to effect a remarkable transformation.

He ended the county summer in commanding form, which he continued as captain of England Lions on their tour of South Africa in January, when he scored a double hundred. It persuaded the selectors that Trott is capable of the biggest step of all, a return to Test cricket.

The risk is twofold. Although Trott looks and sounds fully recovered there must exist the possibility that he can fall foul of his demons again. Then there is his new role as opening batsman. He has spent most of his largely triumphant career at three. They demand different skills.

“Cricket is virtually 12 months a year, so if something builds up and is not kept in check it can overtake everything,” Trott said. “With time and hard work and the right people around me I’ve managed to get it right and am back performing.

“I wouldn’t say my expectations have changed. I still have high expectations of myself but just in different areas now, just realising what’s really important – having a balanced life. This game, and the time you spend on it, can be all-encompassing and enveloping so it’s good to have a balanced view and I’m a huge believer in that now. I went too far.”

Trott will not be an entirely new opening partner for Alastair Cook. He did the job once before, in Bangladesh five years ago, when the team needed to field an extra bowler. But the plan now is to form an enduring union to see England through most of the 17 Tests they will play in the next eight months.

“Yes, it’s OK,” he said. “It’s an ‘in’ to the team and I have to adjust. I hadn’t really batted at No 3 before I batted there for England, so I had to adjust to that and did that for a few years and really enjoyed it. It’s always nice to bat with Alastair if I get the opportunity, and he will be a familiar face if I go out there with him.”

Trott and Cook have enjoyed several lucrative partnerships at second wicket, not least the unbroken 329 they put on at Brisbane in 2010-11, when no one could have foretold what would happen four years later. “It wasn’t so much Brisbane, it was more of a lead-up to it,” Trott said. “The whole months leading up to it, even in England, were really tough and Brisbane was the culmination, a breaking point if you like.”