The Afghanistan coach discusses the Ashes, T20 World Cup and annoying pundits who snipe from the sidelines

Think back to that team and Jonathan Trott was always the relatable one. Get past the gnarly ones, the Type A personalities and the one-offs, and you’d arrive at him, the everyman stumbling in a little late, sporting a dual passport and a receding hairline, who became an integral part of an almost-conquering Test side and briefly one of the best players in the world, before the team, and the man, fell apart.

For four blissful years Trott was there for all the big moments. The dreamlike debut at The Oval in 2009, only the seventh English batter to make an Ashes ton on debut, sealing a 2-1 win. The overseas wins in Australia and India. The ascension to No 1 team in the world. It couldn’t last and it didn’t. But what a ride.

The Afghanistan coach discusses the Ashes, T20 World Cup and annoying pundits who snipe from the sidelines

Think back to that team and Jonathan Trott was always the relatable one. Get past the gnarly ones, the Type A personalities and the one-offs, and you’d arrive at him, the everyman stumbling in a little late, sporting a dual passport and a receding hairline, who became an integral part of an almost-conquering Test side and briefly one of the best players in the world, before the team, and the man, fell apart.

For four blissful years Trott was there for all the big moments. The dreamlike debut at The Oval in 2009, only the seventh English batter to make an Ashes ton on debut, sealing a 2-1 win. The overseas wins in Australia and India. The ascension to No 1 team in the world. It couldn’t last and it didn’t. But what a ride.

The Afghanistan coach discusses the Ashes, T20 World Cup and annoying pundits who snipe from the sidelines

Think back to that team and Jonathan Trott was always the relatable one. Get past the gnarly ones, the Type A personalities and the one-offs, and you’d arrive at him, the everyman stumbling in a little late, sporting a dual passport and a receding hairline, who became an integral part of an almost-conquering Test side and briefly one of the best players in the world, before the team, and the man, fell apart.

For four blissful years Trott was there for all the big moments. The dreamlike debut at The Oval in 2009, only the seventh English batter to make an Ashes ton on debut, sealing a 2-1 win. The overseas wins in Australia and India. The ascension to No 1 team in the world. It couldn’t last and it didn’t. But what a ride.