ONLY in England could we find a number three batsman who scores hundreds for fun then criticise him for being one-paced.

Jonathan Trott stands second only to the legendary Donald Bradman in terms of career batting average, yet people still find faults in the 30-year-old’s game.

This is a man who you would pick to bat for your life. He never looks like losing his wicket and, in nearly 60 per cent of his 44 England appearances – Test and one-day – he has passed 50. Nine times he has gone on to hit a ton.

He really is destined for greatness if such monumental performances are repeated year after year.

Yet people still criticise him for being a slow accumulator of runs.

Strip cricket down to the basics and it is the team that scores the most runs that wins matches.

So, with players like Trott and Alastair Cook churning out copious amounts of runs, it is easy to see why England look untouchable at present.

The bowling attack is exceptional, but they need the scoreboard pressure created by the batsmen to induce the sort of catastrophic collapse that has seen Pakistan, Australia and Sri Lanka subside to double-figure totals in the last 12 months.

So I find it quite unbelievable that such knowledgeable pundits, like Geoffrey Boycott, give Trott a hard time about the way he paces an innings.

Perhaps Mr Boycott is still bitter from the experiences of his playing days, when he was dropped by the selectors because of his slow scoring rate – despite hitting 246 not out against India.

That particular knock came from 555 balls and set up an England victory.

Trott was not quite as slow in compiling his double hundred against Sri Lanka and he too contributed to a memorable Test match victory.

Boycott was unlucky to be dropped after such a magnificent performance.

Thankfully, Trott has a much stronger group of selectors behind him. They realise they have one of the best batsmen in the world in their midst and they will build a team around his mountain of runs.

And, unlike in the Sixties, ridiculous criticism from the media is treated with the same disdain as an all-too familiar Boycott rant.