The man universally known as Trotty is in upbeat mood as he eats breakfast in a Harborne coffeehouse, reflecting on a turbulent few months for one of English cricket’s best known names.
South African born Warwickshire batsman Jonathan Trott is fit, relaxed and looking forward to the Bears’ quarter-final clash with Essex at Chelmsford in the Royal London 50-over tournament later that day.
It’s all a far cry from the traumatic events of last November in Brisbane, when he had to quit the Ashes tour due to what was later described as a form of burnout.
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A recurrence of the condition had caused him to miss part of the early county season with Warwickshire, but now he is back at the crease and looking forward to the Bears’ run-in, plus a well-earned benefit after 10 years at Edgbaston.
“I have spoken to a few players who have said they have gone through a similar phase in their lives and didn’t tell anyone,” he says.
“I have got no regrets about the way my career has gone. I do not know if I will ever play for England again – I was disappointed with the way it finished but I have certainly got a lot to be proud of.
“The two things for me is that I am happy to be back playing for Warwickshire and am feeling good and keen to continue to contribute to the team in the final few weeks of the season.
“It was a difficult time at the beginning of the year and the end of last year. To be honest, I was struggling for a long time before I said anything. It is another experience I hope to be able to help people learn from and be aware of.
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“As a youngster, I was always battling it, the desperation to do well. I have always had this self-drive and passion to do well. I have still got the same determination and passion, but I am a bit more relaxed now.”
The Jonathan Trott story is a cautionary tale of a public figure who found himself unable to carry on playing cricket for his country at a crucial moment, the First Test of the Ashes down under, the most high-profile of all England cricket tours.
But it is also a cautionary tale for our 24/7 world, a reminder that burnout can afflict anyone at any given moment, leaving its victims struggling to cope with the daily demands of a pressured existence, however substantial the financial rewards.
Trott, a likeable, friendly individual in trusted company, is far from alone in succumbing to burnout, either in the cricket world or across society at large. The big difference was that Trotty’s crisis was played out in the public eye, for all to witness and comment upon.
Neither was Trott the first cricketer to face a crisis. Marcus Trescothick might still be opening the batting for England if he hadn’t turned his back on the international game after falling prey to depression. Other high-profile players, from Matthew Hoggard to Mike Yardy, have admitted their struggles with the black dog.
Cricket is an unusual sport/trade in that it is often all-consuming for its most talented practitioners, with Test Matches lasting five days and county championship fixtures four.
The sport’s elite performers are handsomely rewarded compared to their counterparts of yesteryear, but the sacrifices can be great, with lengthy periods away from home in soulless hotel rooms putting untold pressures on family life.
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There is also the ‘sudden death’ element of the game. Batsmen can spend hours in the pavilion waiting their turn, only to be dismissed first ball. Unlike most other sports, there is no reprieve, no second chances. One mistake, or even one umpiring howler, and that’s it. And all played out before an unforgiving public gaze.
But, while cricket seems to have its elements of Russian Roulette-style torment, it is hardly unique in producing burnout victims. If the Trott affair teaches us anything, it is surely that personal trauma is indiscriminate, whether the victim is world-famous or simply the man next door struggling to pay the bills.
Fame can exact a terrible toll on all but the most grounded of individuals. Quite possibly the most talented footballer ever produced by the British Isles, the unforgettable George Best, was dead before he turned 60 following years of alcohol abuse.
The man they called the fifth Beatle was never the same after walking out on Manchester United when he was just 27. It seemed he simply couldn’t cope with being George Best, despite all the wine and women.
The Brazilian genius Garrincha, one of football’s greatest-ever talents and a contemporary of Pele, died a penniless washed-up alcoholic aged just 49. The long documented problems of Paul Gascoigne – the ultimate man-child – tell their own desperately sad story.
Away from sport, Elvis Presley was one of the most famous people to walk the planet. His music changed the world for ever, blowing away post-war deference and helping usher in the swinging sixties and new-found freedoms which rocked the Western world on its axis.
But Elvis was dead by just 42, a bloated, tragic figure who would probably have lived longer – and more contentedly – if he had remained a Memphis truck-driver. Fame had shrivelled his soul to the point where he couldn’t carry on playing the role of the ultimate rock god.
The premature demise of any number of others, from Jim Morrison to Janis Joplin, Brian Jones to Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain to Whitney Houston, Phil Lynott to Amy Winehouse, proved that Elvis wasn’t alone in his problems.
Winston Churchill, regarded by many as the greatest Englishman, suffered intermittently from the black dog of depression, as did one of our greatest thinkers, Dr Johnson, a century or two previously. Comic creative geniuses, from Peter Cook to Birmingham’s own Tony Hancock, struggled with their own demons. The recent suicide of a world-famous figure who seemingly had everything to live for, much-loved American comic Robin Williams, appeared as tragic as it was unnecessary.
None of the aforementioned are necessarily comparable to the particular problems facing Jonathan Trott in recent times.
But they are surely proof that fame, for all its apparent glory and potential riches, can never guarantee peace of mind.