Shock, support as Trott quits Ashes with stress

London (AFP) - England players past and present expressed shock and offered support after batsman Jonathan Trott withdrew from the Ashes tour of Australia on Monday due to a "stress-related illness".

The surprise departure, which echoes a situation involving Marcus Trescothick in 2006-2007, comes after Trott made disappointing scores of 10 and nine in England's 381-run first-Test defeat in Brisbane.

Trott's display was blasted as "poor and weak" by Australia batsman David Warner, in comments that drew censure from England captain Alastair Cook and head coach Andy Flower.

England all-rounder Stuart Broad pledged support for Trott on Twitter, writing: "Love Trotty. Absolute champion of a man. He knows he has all the support of all the people around him. Puts cricket in perspective."

Former England captain Nasser Hussain said the news had come as "a real shock", while another former skipper, Michael Vaughan, expressed regret for questioning Trott's performances in the media.

"I do feel guilty for criticising Trott this week... I wasn't to know what he was going through and I can only comment on what I see," Vaughan wrote on Twitter.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said Trott, 32, would take an indefinite break from cricket and would not be returning to the five-Test tour.

"Jonathan Trott has returned from England's current tour of Australia with a stress-related illness," an ECB tweet said.

"Trott will take a break from cricket for the foreseeable future and will take no further part in the tour... Trott's return to cricket will be determined in due course."

Trott has been a stalwart of the England team, accumulating 3,763 runs at an average of 46.45 in his 49 Tests, but he was dismissed tamely in both innings by fiery paceman Mitchell Johnson.

In a brief statement released by the ECB, Trott said: "I don't feel it's right that I'm playing, knowing that I'm not 100 percent. I cannot currently operate at the level I have done in the past.

"My priority now is to take a break from cricket so that I can focus on my recovery."

Former England opener Trescothick, who left the 2006-2007 Ashes tour and was finally forced to quit international cricket because of depression, called it "sad news".

"To come out and talk about these things for the first time is tough. I'm sure he's not feeling great at all, but he's definitely made the right decision," Trescothick told BBC radio.

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff tweeted: "Trotty will be back. Over the hardest hurdle in his recovery by facing it head on, which is something we are not all able to do."

Trott's departure adds to the dramatic fall-out from the first Test, after Australia captain Michael Clarke was fined for telling England tail-ender James Anderson to "get ready for a broken fucking arm".

Prior to the news of Trott's departure, Warner admitted that he "probably went a little bit too far" with his comments, which were described as "disrespectful" by England skipper Cook.

"I made those comments for a reason," Warner told reporters at Brisbane airport.

"It is Ashes cricket. Probably went a little bit too far with the comments, but it's cricket and now it's in the back of their mind."

England coach Flower criticised Warner for his remarks, but revealed that Trott had been suffering from the condition for some time.

"We've been on tour for a month and he (Trott) has had his ups and downs and it is not directly related," Flower said of Warner's insults.

"I will also say that players commenting about fellow professionals in the media is disrespectful and on this occasion he (Warner) has got that horribly wrong."

Australia coach Darren Lehmann had backed his players' tough approach at Brisbane's Gabba ground, saying he liked them playing "hard cricket", but he voiced support for Trott.

Writing on Twitter, he said: "I wish Johnathon Trott a speedy recovery from a tough situation, a safe flight home to be with family!"

The chief executive of the Professional Cricketers' Association, which represents players in England and Wales, said Trott's exit was not necessarily linked to criticism of his performances.

"This problem wasn't caused by an Aussie player sledging Jonathan on the pitch, or indeed by anything that was said in a press conference," said Angus Porter.

"This is a serious illness relating probably to chemical imbalances in the brain."