Deep Backward Point

My first “feature length” article appears on the newly minted TheSightscreen.com, and it’s on Jonathan Trott. Also, it appears in the section of the site I am very proud to have named: Damned Lies and Statistics. I have found the statistical master key to the #TrottsFault enigma. I won’t give away the plot, but here’s an excerpt:

The England ODI team is stuck in the ’90s– not willing to commit to the modern pace of the game. Jonathan Trott typifies this problem. The player– and the team– who are content with “good enough” in an era of an abundance of runs.

Go read more. There are charts too.

∞

And once you’re back, read through the Trott dossier compiled below. This is what I used to come to my conclusions in the other article: the facts of every Trott ODI inning. These are subjective, but so is everything about #TrottsFault. [previously, here on DBP, I wrote about Trott’s fault from another point of view]

Trott in Losses

Key:

• #EnglandsFault means Trott plays poorly, but so does the rest of the team
• #TrottsFault means Trott plays well, but his scoring rate could be blamed for the final loss
• #notfault means Trott plays well, and England lose in spite of this. There is no way to blame Trott without being referred to an insane asylum.

1. England in South Africa ODI Series – 3rd ODI
South Africa v England
South Africa won by 112 runs
ODI no. 2930 | 2009/10 season
Played at Newlands, Cape Town
27 November 2009 – day/night (50-over match

South Africa bat first and score 354. Tall order, unlikely chase. Trott comes in at 41-1 in 5.3 overs. Run rate on track, but still a difficult ask. Trott plays out 14 balls for 9 runs. Trott gets out trying to drive the ball after 4 of the last 5 deliveries he faced were dot balls.

England lose by 112 runs.

#EnglandsFault

2. NatWest Series [Bangladesh in England] – 2nd ODI
England v Bangladesh
Bangladesh won by 5 runs
ODI no. 3025 | 2010 season
Played at County Ground, Bristol
10 July 2010 (50-over match)

Bangladesh bat first and score 236. Easy peasy. Trott comes in at 49-1 and quickly starts losing partners. The rest of the side collapses, until Trott falls in the last over with 5 runs needed in 4 balls. Trott scores at a Strike Rate of 72– 94 in 130 balls.

#trottsfault

3. NatWest Series [Pakistan in England] – 3rd ODI
England v Pakistan
Pakistan won by 23 runs
ODI no. 3045 | 2010 season
Played at Kennington Oval, London
17 September 2010 – day/night (50-over match)

Pakistan bat first and score 241. Again, easy peasy. Trott comes in at 35-1 and promptly leaves at 42-2. Spends 10 balls on his 2 runs. England lose by 23 runs.

#EnglandsFault

4. NatWest Series [Pakistan in England] – 4th ODI
England v Pakistan
Pakistan won by 38 runs
ODI no. 3046 | 2010 season
Played at Lord’s, London
20 September 2010 – day/night (50-over match)

Pakistan bat first and score 265. Not too easy, not too hard. Trott comes in at 113-1 in 20 overs, on target for a win. Trott falls for 4 runs off 16 balls with the score on 125-2 in 24.2. England lose by 38 runs.

#EnglandsFault

5. http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/446962.html
England in Australia ODI Series – 1st ODI
Australia v England
Australia won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)

England bat first, and Trott comes in at 90-1 in 12.1 overs. A formidable position. England are quickly 100-2 in 14.2 as Trott is caught behind for 6 off 7 balls. England go on to make 294 in spite of Trott, but Australia chase it down with 6 wickets to spare.

#EnglandsFault

6. England in Australia ODI Series – 2nd ODI
Australia v England
Australia won by 46 runs
ODI no. 3083 | 2010/11 season
Played at Bellerive Oval, Hobart
21 January 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

Australia bat first and score 230. Easy. Trott comes in at 12-1 in 2.5 overs. He scores 32 off 58 balls and then leaves trying to force the scoring, leaving his team at 83-4. England lose by 46 runs.

Mild #trottsfault

7. England in Australia ODI Series – 3rd ODI
Australia v England
Australia won by 4 wickets (with 24 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3086 | 2010/11 season
Played at Sydney Cricket Ground
23 January 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first and Trott comes in at 1-1. Trott plays through 48 overs, to score 84 off 119 balls at a strike rate of 70. England are all out for 214. Australia chase it down with 4 wickets in hand.

#trottsfault

8. England in Australia ODI Series – 5th ODI
Australia v England
Australia won by 51 runs
ODI no. 3091 | 2010/11 season
Played at Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane
30 January 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

Australia bat first and score 249. Chaseable. Trott comes in at 20-1 in 5 overs. Trott leaves an over later for a golden duck, with England on 22-3. England lose by 51 runs.

#EnglandsFault

9. England in Australia ODI Series – 6th ODI
Australia v England
Australia won by 2 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3094 | 2010/11 season
Played at Sydney Cricket Ground
2 February 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first, and Trott comes in at 41-1. Trott scores 137 off 126 balls before getting out caught and bowled off the penultimate ball of the innings. England end on 333. Australia chase it down with two wickets to spare.

#notfault

10. England in Australia ODI Series – 7th ODI
Australia v England
Australia won by 57 runs
ODI no. 3098 | 2010/11 season
Played at Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth
6 February 2011 (50-over match)

Australia bat first and score 279. England are quickly 5-2 off 2 overs. Trott falls soon with the score on 48-3 in 9 overs. Australia win by 57 runs.

#EnglandsFault

11. ICC Cricket World Cup – 15th match, Group B
England v Ireland
Ireland won by 3 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3114 | 2010/11 season
Played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore (neutral venue)
2 March 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

Trott scores 92 off 92, as England bat first to score 327. Ireland chase it down with 3 wickets to spare.

#notfault

12. ICC Cricket World Cup – 28th match, Group B
Bangladesh v England
Bangladesh won by 2 wickets (with 6 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3127 | 2010/11 season
Played at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
11 March 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first and are quickly 32-1 in 7 overs when Trott comes in. Trott bats until the 44th over, scoring 67 in 99 balls at a Strike Rate of 67. He is out forcing the scoring rate, caught at long off with England on 182 for 5. England end with 225 all out, which Bangladesh chase down with 2 wickets to spare.

#trottsfault

13. ICC Cricket World Cup – 4th quarter final
Sri Lanka v England
Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets (with 63 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3145 | 2010/11 season
Played at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo
26 March 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first and are 29-1 when Strauss falls. Trott comes in and plays the anchor role. Plays through the 50 overs to only get to 86 off 115 at a Strike Rate of 74 with only two boundaries. England end up on 229, which Sri Lanka chase without the loss of any wickets.

#trottsfault

14. NatWest Series [Sri Lanka in England] – 2nd ODI
England v Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka won by 69 runs
ODI no. 3167 | 2011 season
Played at Headingley, Leeds
1 July 2011 (50-over match)

Sri Lanka bats first, scoring 309 for 5. England are 53-1 in 10.2 overs when Trott comes in. Trott scores 39 off 54 with a Strike Rate of 72 before Lakmal gets him out bowled with a yorker and England at 144-4 in 28 overs. England lose by 69 runs.

Mild #trottsfault

15. NatWest Series [Sri Lanka in England] – 3rd ODI
England v Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka won by 6 wickets (with 10 balls remaining)

England bat first, and are 30-2 when Trott gets out after scoring 2 runs off 13 balls. England end up on 246 in 50 overs, which Sri Lanka chase down with 6 wickets to spare.

#EnglandsFault

16. England in India ODI Series – 1st ODI
India v England
India won by 126 runs
ODI no. 3199 | 2011/12 season
Played at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad
14 October 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

India bat first and score 300. England are 40-2 in 9.1 overs when Trott comes in. Trott scores 26 off 42, before finally getting out bowled by Jadeja playing an “ugly” sweep. England lose by 126 runs.

Mild #trottsfault

17. England in India ODI Series – 2nd ODI
India v England
India won by 8 wickets (with 80 balls remaining)

England bat first and lose both openers quickly, leaving them 2-0. Trott scores a quick 34 off 37, but gets out in the 10th over. England score 237 all out, which India chase with 8 wickets to spare.

#EnglandsFault

18. England in India ODI Series – 3rd ODI
India v England
India won by 5 wickets (with 4 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3205 | 2011/12 season
Played at Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali, Chandigarh
20 October 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first and are quickly 8-1 when Trott walks in. Trott scores a 116 ball 98 not out, at a Strike Rate of 84 at the end of 50 overs. England end the innings on 298 for 4. India chase the score with 5 wickets to spare.

#trottsfault

19. England in India ODI Series – 4th ODI
India v England
India won by 6 wickets (with 59 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3207 | 2011/12 season
Played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
23 October 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first, and Trott comes in with the score at 39-1 in 6 overs. Trott scores 39 off 48, bowled by Vinay Kumar. England end the innings on 220, which India chase with 10 overs to spare.

#EnglandsFault

20. England in India ODI Series – 5th ODI
India v England
India won by 95 runs
ODI no. 3210 | 2011/12 season
Played at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
25 October 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

India bat first and score 271. England start well with 129-1 when Trott comes in. Trott scores 5 runs off 10 balls, but England have lost another two wickets in the interim leaving them 137-4. England lose by 95 runs.

#EnglandsFault

Trott in Wins

Key:

• #indicative means indicative of the behavior I talk about in this article. That when England wins, it’s very likely Trott got out with significant number of overs to spare.

1. England in Ireland ODI Match
Ireland v England
England won by 3 runs (D/L method)
ODI no. 2878 | 2009 season
Played at Civil Service Cricket Club, Stormont, Belfast
27 August 2009 (50-over match)

England bat first and score 203. Trott comes in at 2-1 and leaves two overs later with the score on 6-2. Trott out for a duck. The D-L reduced target is 116 in 20 overs, but Ireland fall 4 runs short.

2. England in South Africa ODI Series – 2nd ODI

South Africa v England
England won by 7 wickets (with 24 balls remaining)
ODI no. 2929 | 2009/10 season
Played at SuperSport Park, Centurion
22 November 2009 (50-over match)

South Africa bat first and score 250 for 9 in 50 overs. England chase well, with Trott scoring 82 off 117 balls with a Strike Rate of 73. Trott gets out in the 42nd over with 44 runs in 8 overs to get.

#indicative

3. England in South Africa ODI Series – 4th ODI
South Africa v England
England won by 7 wickets (with 112 balls remaining)
ODI no. 2931 | 2009/10 season
Played at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth
29 November 2009 (50-over match)

South Africa bat first and score 119 all out. England chase , Trott scoring 52 in 77 balls at a Strike Rate of 67. Trott is unbeaten when England win.

4. NatWest Series [Bangladesh in England] – 3rd ODI
England v Bangladesh
England won by 144 runs
ODI no. 3026 | 2010 season
Played at Edgbaston, Birmingham
12 July 2010 (50-over match)

England bat first. Trott comes in at 1-1 and scores 110 off 121 balls at a Strike Rate of 91. Trott goes in the 41st over with the score at 251-2. England scored 96 more runs off the last 9 overs. Bangladesh loses by 144 runs.

5. NatWest Series [Pakistan in England] – 1st ODI
England v Pakistan
England won by 24 runs
ODI no. 3043 | 2010 season
Played at Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
10 September 2010 (50-over match)

In a rain-shortened (41 overs) innings, England bat first with Trott coming in at the 12th over at 78-1. Trott scores 69 off 78 balls, but gets out in the 40th over with the score on 253. England score another 21 runs off the last 9 balls, and win the match by 24 runs.

#indicative

6. NatWest Series [Pakistan in England] – 2nd ODI
England v Pakistan
England won by 4 wickets (with 3 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3044 | 2010 season
Played at Headingley, Leeds
12 September 2010 (50-over match)

Pakistan bat first and score 294. In England’s innings, Trott comes in at 43-1 and gets out in the 33rd over with the score on 189-2. He scores 53 off 71 deliveries at a Strike Rate of 74. England go on to score 106 runs in the last 17 overs to win by 4 wickets.

#indicative

7. NatWest Series [Pakistan in England] – 5th ODI
England v Pakistan
England won by 121 runs
ODI no. 3047 | 2010 season
Played at The Rose Bowl, Southampton
22 September 2010 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first and score 256. Trott comes in at 31-1, but gets out soon after for 3 runs off 6 balls. Pakistan is unable to chase the score, getting all out for 135.

8. England in Australia ODI Series – 4th ODI
Australia v England
England won by 21 runs
ODI no. 3089 | 2010/11 season
Played at Adelaide Oval
26 January 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first and Trott comes in at 23-1. Trott scores 102 off 126 balls (Strike Rate of 81), but gets out in the 40th over with England on 224-5. England score another 75 off the last 10 overs. Australia misses the target by 21 runs.

#indicative

9. ICC Cricket World Cup – 5th match, Group B
England v Netherlands
England won by 6 wickets (with 8 balls remaining)
ODI no. 3104 | 2010/11 season
Played at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur (neutral venue)
22 February 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

Netherlands bat first and score 292. England are 105-1 in 18 overs when Trott comes in. Trott scores 62 off 65 balls at almost a run a ball, but gets out at the 40 over mark with England on 224-3. England score the final 70 runs off 8 overs to win the match with 6 wickets to spare.

#indicative

10. ICC Cricket World Cup – 11th match, Group B
India v England
Match tied
ODI no. 3110 | 2010/11 season
Played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore
27 February 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

India bat first and score 338. England are 68-1 when Trott comes in. Trott scores 16 off 19 balls, when he loses his wicket at 111-2. England tie the match off the last ball.

11. ICC Cricket World Cup – 21st match, Group B
England v South Africa
England won by 6 runs
ODI no. 3120 | 2010/11 season
Played at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai (neutral venue)
6 March 2011 (50-over match)

England bat first and are 1-1 when Trott comes in. Trott spends 94 balls on his 52, with a Strike Rate of 55. Trott gets out in the 30th over, with the score on 114-4. England end up all out on 171. South Africa fail in the chase by 6 runs.

#indicative

12. ICC Cricket World Cup – 36th match, Group B
England v West Indies
England won by 18 runs
ODI no. 3135 | 2010/11 season
Played at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai (neutral venue)
17 March 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first and Trott walks in at 48-1 in the 10th over. Trott scores a quick 47 off 38 balls at a Strike Rate of 124, out in the 22nd over. England end up on 243 all out. West Indies all out for 225, losing by 18 runs.

13. NatWest Series [Sri Lanka in England] – 1st ODI
England v Sri Lanka
England won by 110 runs (D/L method)
ODI no. 3165 | 2011 season
Played at Kennington Oval, London
28 June 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

England bat first in a rain shortened (32 over) innings. Trott walks in at 6-1, and scores 23 off 24 balls with England on 53-1 in 9 overs. England go on to 229. Sri Lanka end up all out for 121.

14. NatWest Series [Sri Lanka in England] – 4th ODI
England v Sri Lanka
England won by 10 wickets (with 145 balls remaining) (D/L method)
ODI no. 3169 | 2011 season
Played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
6 July 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

Sri Lanka score 174 in 50 overs. England chase it down without Trott needing to come in to bat.

15. NatWest Series [Sri Lanka in England] – 5th ODI
England v Sri Lanka
England won by 16 runs
ODI no. 3170 | 2011 season
Played at Old Trafford, Manchester
9 July 2011 (50-over match)

England bat first and Trott walks in at 85-1 in the 13th over. Trott scores 72 off 87 balls with a Strike Rate of 82. Trott gets out in the 42nd over with England on 233-6. England score only 35 runs off the next 8 overs, to end up on 268. Sri Lanka only get to 252, and lose by 16 runs.

16. England in Ireland ODI Match
Ireland v England
England won by 11 runs (D/L method)
ODI no. 3185 | 2011 season
Played at Clontarf Cricket Club Ground, Dublin
25 August 2011 (50-over match)

England bat first and Trott opens. Trott scores 69 off 105 balls with a Strike Rate of 65. Trott gets out in the 40th over, but the innings has been rain-shortened at 42. England score 29 runs in the 16 deliveries after Trott’s dismissal. England win the match by 11 runs.

#indicative

17. NatWest Series [India in England] – 3rd ODI
England v India
England won by 3 wickets (with 7 balls remaining) (D/L method)
ODI no. 3189 | 2011 season
Played at Kennington Oval, London
9 September 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

India bat first and score 234. Trott comes in with England on 63-1. He scores 11 off 25 balls and is out with England on 89-3 in 18 overs. England chase down the D/L reduced score in 42 overs.

18. NatWest Series [India in England] – 4th ODI
England v India
Match tied (D/L method)
ODI no. 3191 | 2011 season
Played at Lord’s, London
11 September 2011 (50-over match)

India bat first and score 280 in 50 overs. In the rain-shortened chase, Trott comes in at 21-1 and leaves at 61-3 in 12 overs. Trott scores 23 off 27 balls. England tie the match.

19. NatWest Series [India in England] – 5th ODI
England v India
England won by 6 wickets (with 10 balls remaining) (D/L method)
ODI no. 3195 | 2011 season
Played at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff
16 September 2011 – day/night (50-over match)

India bat first and score 304 in 50 overs. In a rain-shortened chase, Trott comes in at 27-1 and scores 63 off 60 deliveries. Trott is out in the 26th over, and England score another 75 runs in under 7 overs to win the match.