Johanthan Trott banks on England to lift the Champions Trophy

England’s Jonathan Trott has all his hopes cut out for England to lift the 2017 Champions Trophy. The former top order batsman who was a part of the losing England side in the 2013 Champions Trophy final against India said that England have a bright opportunity to prove their mettle and win their second ICC title.

He has been living with the nightmare of 2013 final. They were well on course to win the trophy, despite losing early wickets. But a late flourish with the ball by Ishant Sharma steered India back onto the track as the men in blue salvaged a nail-biting victory over England. Trott reiterates that though the loss still haunts him, he believes this England team has the ability to win the trophy.

Nightmares

“It would have been so nice to have won the final in 2013, I still have a few nightmares about that, but hopefully this team can go all the way,” Trott was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

For him, playing in the Champions Trophy had been a very enjoyable ride. He said that there was a lot of positivity in his side and their chances of winning were buoyed by the loud England crowd.

“I remember there being such a great vibe in 2013. The English crowds are so loud and can be intimidating.”

Trott who retired from international cricket in 2015, said that England has to capitalise the home advantage factor. They have nothing to lose and they will be well backed by the crowds. But he also has a word of caution for Eoin Morgan & Co. According to him, they will have to play out of their skin as the participating teams have been in tremendous form and can give them a run for their money.

“England has got the home advantage and they can use it, but there are some good teams around the world in great form, so it’s going to be a really interesting competition,” he explained.

Trott has some words of praise for the England side as well. “England has been playing some really good cricket both home and away, but I don’t necessarily think there’s much pressure on them,” he stated.

England has been itching to win a major ICC one-day trophy since its inception and Trott is also desperate to have England’s name on the coveted list of ICC World Cup or Champions Trophy winners. They had some hits and misses in its quest of winning a major title. But the Warwickshire star is looking on the brighter side as England has been playing brilliantly of late and is firing on all cylinders.

“There’s perhaps a feeling that it is about time to win a one-day tournament, which would be very nice, and they have been going well in the T20 competition as well. They’ll be going into the Champions Trophy with some good form and some good momentum,” Trott concluded.

– Written by Sumit Mondal