IT amazes me that, despite being solid, reliable and averaging above 50, Jonathan Trott still has his detractors.

The Warwickshire man has been England’s best batsman this summer, irrespective of his failure on the first day at The Oval.

His double ton against Bangladesh was a study in skill, concentration and determination – qualities he has displayed in bucket-loads on bowler-friendly pitches in the opening two Test matches against Pakistan.

Yet Trott is still getting flak from certain quarters for what is perceived to be the pedestrian nature of his batting and because he fidgets around the crease between deliveries.

So what if he gets up the noses of the opposition because of his quirky superstitions?

Maybe it is because of the advent of Twenty20 cricket, but it seems to have become unfashionable for players to dig in and put together a score of substance.

Trott’s success this summer has been because he has the ability to stick it out when the bowler is on top.

And a quick glance at his Test record shows that he scores his runs no slower than his colleagues – Kevin Pietersen aside.

He has a strike-rate (runs per 100 balls) of 48 while Andrew Strauss (50), Ian Bell (50) and Paul Collingwood (46) have similar records. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (42), Jacques Kallis (44) and Simon Katich (49) are ranked in the top 10 batsmen in the world and they do not receive such criticism.

Trott should be applauded for the way he has filled the troublesome number three spot.

And similar praise should be apportioned to wicketkeeper Matt Prior – somebody else who has shown plenty of mental strength to establish himself as England’s number one wicketkeeper.

After the ICC World Twenty20 success, Craig Kieswetter was flavour of the month but Prior has justified his inclusion in the Test set-up.

Gone are the question marks about his glovework and he has been England’s saviour when they needed him most this season.

He scored a century in the First Test when Pakistan were close to forcing a way back into the game and on Wednesday, with England down and out at 94-7, he joined forces with the equally talented Stuart Broad to add some respectability to the scoreline.