Proud Trott: I will always be a Bear
JONATHAN Trott will cease to be a Warwickshire player at the end of the season but insists he “will always be a Bear” – and deeply proud of it.
The 37-year-old will retire from professional cricket in September, bringing to an end a 16-year career at Edgbaston.
Trott and Warwickshire have been very good for each other. He has long been a linchpin of the Bears’ batting and helped the club to win numerous trophies across the formats. The club, meanwhile, supplied him with the platform from which to achieve his objective of playing for England.
He is justly proud of his Test record – 3,835 runs at an average of 44.08 from 52 matches – but equally grateful to the club.
“I am very proud of what I have done for Warwickshire and England,” he said. “I have banked a lot of great memories and feel very fortunate to have had the career I have had.
“There are a lot of people to thank and I will get round to them all eventually and that’s important because there have been so many people who have supported me – family and friends and people at Warwickshire. It’s not just you when you go out there to bat or bowl, there’s a lot of people that have helped get you there.
“I am proud to be a Bear and will always be. It will live with me forever. It has always been great to play at Edgbaston and I have loved playing at a great ground steeped in history.
“It was the club I always wanted to play for when I was growing up in Cape Town with links with Bob Woolmer and him always wanting me to come and play for Warwickshire. To be able to fulfil those dreams is a huge satisfaction.
“It was always my ambition to play for England and the opportunity to do that came here at Warwickshire.
“It all happened quite quickly with just the one trial game in 2002 and the rest is history. It’s been a great ride.”
Trott’s objective now is to finish off by helping Warwickshire achieve promotion straight back up in the Specsavers County Championship and success in this season’s Royal London One-Day Cup.
“I am still enjoying my cricket but it is a case of looking towards the future,” he said.
“I will miss certain things, the people and the changing room.
“You grow up with that camaraderie, which is very different to the outside world.
“For now, I’ll just focus on the season. I hope to stay involved in cricket in some capacity but I haven’t decided to retire with something set up in the wings. But I look forward to the future and coming down to Warwickshire and cheering the boys on.”