Colin Povey has pledged that Warwickshire will offer Jonathan Trott “every support we can” after the batsman’s
Trott will be back in Birmingham two months earlier than anticipated, due to a stress-related illness.
Just as with Marcus Trescothick a few years ago, the pressures of the relentless international cricket treadmill have taken a toll on the 32-year-old.
Trott scored 10 and 9 in two innings as England suffered a 381-run defeat in the First Ashes Test in Brisbane.
Australia's David Warner told a press conference that Trott looked "scared".
England captain Alastair Cook labelled the comments "disrespectful," a view shared by Flower who says Warner's views had no impact on Trott's decision to leave.
Trott has been a regular for England since making his Test debut against Australia at The Oval in September 2009.
He arrived at the top level just as the demands on top players were hitting overdrive as cricket’s governing bodies sought to cram international cricket into every nook and cranny of the calendar in pursuit of loot.
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The pressure has now forced him to take a step back from the perpetual spotlight.
But Bears’ chief executive Povey reckons Trott will be back – abetted, in the short term, by the break he needs and all the friendship and support he wants from his county.
“Trotty is a tough character,” Povey said, “so this just shows the pressures these guys are under.
“If you look at not just the back-to-back Ashes series this year but the international itinerary as a whole there are very high demands being made of these guys.
"I don’t think anyone who has not experienced those demands can fully appreciate the pressure.
“Just look at Sachin Tendulkar and the number of matches he played in his career.
‘‘If you are at the top of the tree these days an awful lot is asked of you and, if you stay there for any length of time, that pressure is always there.
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“We will offer Trotty every support we can. We will be guided by him, of course, as to how he wants to progress.
‘‘Knowing him, I am sure he will have desperately wanted to stay out in Australia and scrap it out but clearly that wasn’t possible, in which case this is absolutely the right thing for him to do.
"He has got a lot of really close mates around Warwickshire and they are the people he needs around him now.
“We will be there for him when he needs us and we will give him space when he needs it.”
A Warwickshire player since 2003, and next season’s beneficiary, Cape Town-born Trott is very much part of the Edgbaston family, even more so as he is married to Abi Dollery, granddaughter of former Bears’ championship-winning captain Tom.
“Abs has always been a great source of strength to Trotty so it’s great that that love and support is in place for him,” Povey said.
“It’s obviously sad that he is going through this now but, knowing him as a character and the people that he has around him, I am sure he will come through this and get back to where he was.”
Warwickshire director of cricket Dougie Brown has witnessed the whole of Trott’s career in senior cricker, from aspiring Bears trialist to first-team regular and top-order linchpin through to England international.
From the moment Trott scored a debut ton against Sussex at Edgbaston in 2003, he has been deeply passionate about representing the Bears.
He is an intense cricketer and, early in his career, it took him some years how to work out how to correctly channel that intensity in his game.
Few cricketers care more about their job and devote more mental energy to it but, for now, Trott’s pursuit of runs for England must be parked.
When he is ready to return to Edgbaston, bat in hand or otherwise, the Bears will be there for him, insists Brown.
“Jonathan’s health and well-being are our utmost priority during this period.” he said.
“He is an outstanding cricketer and the Warwickshire squad will give its full support to him and his family over the next few weeks.”
Trescothick: Trott made the right decision to come home
Marcus Trescothick believes England batsman Jonathan Trott “definitely” made the correct decision to leave the Ashes tour with a stress-related illness.
Trescothick says he can sympathise with the 32-year-old, as he left the 2005-06 India tour and the 2006-07 Ashes tour of Australia due to a similar condition.
The former England opening batsman said: “You just can’t take any more, you just can’t get through the day, let alone go out there and play a Test match and win a Test match. I sympathise with Trotty.
“I’ve been in that exact situation in ‘06 and ‘07 and tried to make that decision knowing that the consequences and all the attention it’s going to bring on to you are going to be tough.
“I think we just need to allow a bit of time, that’s the key at this point.
“I know there’s going to be a massive media scrum over the next couple of days. We’ll probably see him flying back home and seeing him arrive back at his house.
‘‘But we just need to allow him that bit of time to get well again because your health is far more important than any game of cricket we play.’’