• South Africa in England 2012

I'm no mercenary says 'British' Trott

Jonathan Trott doesn't think South Africa will target him more than any other player © Getty Images

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Jonathan Trott has made the most emphatic statement of his "Britishness" yet as he prepares to face South Africa, the country of his birth, in the forthcoming Test series that provides the showpiece of the English season.

Trott, reluctantly looking ahead from matters at hand, the NatWest Series against Australia, responded to South Africa's arrival in England by saying: "I feel completely British. I went back to South Africa for my brother's wedding in April last year and I didn't enjoy it at all in Cape Town.

"Every time I've been back to Cape Town - for weddings, a holiday or whatever - I've always moved my flight so I can go home earlier. It's nothing to do with crime or political reasons. I just didn't enjoy being away from home. And home is Birmingham.

"I don't mind the rain. You get some good days here. Let me tell you: when the sun shines, there is no better country in the world than England. You can have the mountains and the oceans, but May and June in England are perfect. There's nowhere better.

Trott had a strong response for those who still depict him as a South African-born mercenary, cynically making use of the England system. "Do they see me putting my pounds in a South African bank account? And the answer is no. And do they see me buying property outside England? Or planning on a future elsewhere? No. I'm thinking about which school my daughter is going to go to here.

"It's quite evident when someone is a mercenary. People can sniff it from a mile away."

In a wide-ranging interview with George Dobell, Trott dismisses suggestions that he finds it difficult to play against South Africa or that he expects to be specifically targeted by the South African team

"I don't think the South Africa team see me as a target any more than anyone else," he said. "I don't get any more sledging from them on the pitch than anyone else. It's fine."

David Hopps is the UK editor of ESPNcricinfo

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