The signed England shirt and cricket stump will not be the only mementoes on the walls of Jonathan Trotts Birmingham home.They will be given equal billing alongside his other most-prized sporting possession,his autographed Tottenham top from manager Harry Redknapp.
Trott,whose brilliantly assured second-innings century on his Test debut helped lay the foundations for the triumph,is not just a cricket lover he8217;s a Spurs nut. And he was gobsmacked that Redknapp,boss of the current Premier League leaders,sent him a shirt as a wedding present when he tied the knot with Abi in April.
Trott said: 8220;The shirt says 8221;To Trotty,Up the Spurs,Harry Redknapp8221;. Then there8217;s a card from him which says 8221;To Trotty. Have a Great Day8221;. 8220;I love Spurs,I8221;m a massive fan and it would be fantastic if they could get into the Champions League to go with us winning The Ashes.
8220;Even during the Test on Sunday,I caught the TV at lunchtime and checked on the Spurs line-up for the game against West Ham,just to make sure Harry got it right. I wanted to know the final score while I was fielding but I never did and only found out after we had won The Ashes.8221; Trott now looks a certainty to make England8217;s tour to South Africa having proved how cool he is under pressure 8211; despite Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting8217;s claim he could crumble.
His Spurs allegiance was passed on from his English-born dad Ian and,growing up in Cape Town,he never missed coverage of them.
8220;I had loads of pictures on my wall and I8217;ve got tons of old Spurs shirts. I used to walk round with 8221;Sheringham8221; on my back. The first time I saw Spurs live was at Birmingham in 2003. I was in the Spurs end,we lost 1-0 to David Dunn penalty.
Despite being born and schooled in South Africa,Trott considers himself a proper Englishman. He added: 8220;I had a British passport from birth and can remember travelling to England in 1996 with the South African Under-15 side.
8220;Everyone else needed a visa and I just walked straight in. Mind you,I had more trouble getting back into South Africa than anyone else. 8220;My dad was born in England,my parents live in Surrey and my uncle and granddad live in Kent.
8220;I didn8217;t come here as a young guy just to try and take the cash back to South Africa. My home is in Birmingham,I8217;m an adopted Brummie and I8217;m very proud.8221;
Trott8217;s favourite memory of the triumph is not actually his ton.
He added: 8220;For the rest of my life I8217;ll remember fielding at deep point to Michael Hussey when he hit it to Andrew Flintoff. 8220;I had a perfect view. Freddie8217;s direct hit was phenomenal and to run out Ricky Ponting was the defining moment of the game.