Filed under: Cricket, England Cricket
Jonathan Trott has been maligned in recent weeks for his abilities in the 50-over game and would be the first to admit he still has improvement to make in that format.But it is hard to have too many criticisms against the player who in the space of a couple of seasons has gone from Test novice to ICC Cricketer of the Year.
It is difficult to pin-point another individual who has taken the step up to the international arena with such ease and there can be few arguments against him picking up the Sir Garfield Sobers trophy for his exploits over the last 12-months.
The fact that Trott narrowly pipped his international team mate Alastair Cook to the prestigious award is a further indication of the current strength of English.
In the last year Trott has scored over 1,000 runs in both Test and one-day cricket, a feat which was enough to see him prevail over fellow nominees Hashim Amla, Sachin Tendulkar and Cook.
But the bad news for bowlers around the world is that the England Test number three still feels he has not reached his peak and believes there is still improvement to come in his game.
"It has been a long year and a fruitful one, but the important thing is to build on that now. Not to reset goals, but to tweak a few things in my game," he said.
"There is still room for improvement. I want to score more hundreds and become a reliable number three. So I need to get better at a few things.
"I also know there is room for improvement in the one-day game. I need to work on my boundary options, but I am pretty young to Test cricket.
"I only came in two years ago and the people I was up against for the award have been around the game ten years or longer."
Trott's attitude is refreshing and clearly down to the culture created by England team director Andy Flower, a man who is constantly striving to find an extra one per cent of an edge in all his players.
It would be easy for Trott to sit back and relax, knowing he is part of a successful side, with plenty of excellent performers around him.
But the desire to keep progressing forward is the default setting for everyone in the England camp right. With the taxi rank full of potential, young replacements, one stellar season is not sufficient.
Cook knows that only too well, after facing calls for his omission from the Test side ahead of last winter's Ashes and his selection as Test Cricketer of the Year was a forgone conclusion.
The left-hander got the nod ahead of Trott and fellow international colleague James Anderson, as well as South Africa's Jacques Kallis.
Cook's 766 runs at an incredible average of 127.66 is unlikely to be repeated, but that did not stop him gorging on runs against India this summer with the highlight a career-best 294.
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