Joe Root has backed England teammate Jonathan Trott to make a return to international cricket this summer following his troubles in Australia.
Trott left the Ashes tour after one Test match due to being "burnt out" and despite seeing the Warwickshire batsman receive criticism from individuals in the game, including former England captain Michael Vaughan, Root is hoping that he will play with him again on the international stage.
"I didn't have masses of correspondence with him at the time – he needed to get away himself and deal with it in his own way," Root told reporters. "I hope he can start the county season strongly and put his name in the international hat, just like everyone else.
"He had a stress-related illness, which is something you never want to see in a colleague.
"It's not nice to hear that Trotty wasn't at his best. We'll have to see how he is at the start of the summer. It's very important that he scores runs for Warwickshire and improves himself."
Root is currently on the sidelines after breaking his thumb on the tour of the West Indies.
Callum Mulvihill
