Shortlisted for the 2017 Cross Sports Autobiography of the Year

'Full of illuminating anecdotes, piercing insights and unsparing self-analysis from the former England batsman' The Cricketer

Jonathan Trott was England's rock during one of the most successful periods in the team's history - he scored a century on debut to clinch the Ashes in 2009, and cemented his position as their pivotal batsman up to and beyond the team's ascendancy to the number 1 ranked test team in 2011.

Yet shortly after reaching those heights, he started to crumble, and famously left the 2012-13 Ashes tour of Australia suffering from a stress related illness. His story is the story of Team England - it encompasses the life-cycle of a team that started out united by ambition, went on to achieve some of the greatest days in the team's history but then, bodies and minds broken, fell apart amid acrimony.

Having seen all of this from the inside, Jonathan's autobiography takes readers to the heart of the England dressing room, and to the heart of what it is to be a professional sportsman. Not only does it provide a unique perspective on a remarkably successful period in English cricket and its subsequent reversal, it also offers a fascinating insight into the rewards and risks faced as a sportsman carrying the hope and expectation of a team and a nation. And it's a salutary tale of the dangers pressure can bring in any walk of life, and the perils of piling unrealistic expecations on yourself.

About the Author
Jonathan Trott is a former England Test cricketer who was ICC and ECB Cricketer of the Year in 2011. He currently plays for Warwickshire, having retired from all international cricket in 2015.

Reviews
Unguarded is not just the story of Jonathan Trott, it is also the story of the rise and fall of an England team that reached great heights before imploding just as spectacularly * All Out Cricket *
Former England cricketer Jonathan Trott's autobiography, Unguarded is just that, a no holds barred account of Trott's rise to the heights of the sport, helping to clinch the Ashes in 2009, and subsequent descent into depressive illness * Choice Magazine *
A painfully honest book characterised by a dry wit: Trott's eyebrow is perpetually raised at the absurdity of it all. He can be thin-skinned, but what could have been a gruelling book is notable for its emotional intelligence * Daily Mail *
The man who famously left the 2012/13 Ashes tour on account of stress related illness takes us inside the heart of the England dressing room and the head of a professional sportsman. Unguarded charts the highs of Trott's role in propelling England to the summit of World Cricket before a shattering reversal. It uses accounts from team and family members to illustrate the pressure facing professional sportspeople in the modern era and how dangerous expectations of others and oneself can breach any walk of life * GQ *
Full of illuminating anecdotes, piercing insights and unsparing self-analysis from the former England batsman * The Cricketer *


Awards
Short-listed for Cross Sports Book Awards Cricket Book of the Year 2017 (UK). Long-listed for Cricket Society and MCC Book of the Year Award 2017 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9780751565164
Author Jonathan Trott
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Sphere
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Weight(grams) 250g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 28mm