Trott notches century

Dean Wilson is the cricket correspondent for the UK's Daily Mirror

When the England cricket team can't find a win for love nor money and the captain is only just about keeping his head above water, while others are calling for it.

When a triple winning Ashes wicket-keeper steps away from the side for injury reasons but accepts that he may well have played his last game for his country.

When senior figures are leaving the ECB left right and centre, headed by the outgoing chief executive David Collier, you might wonder just how much of a crisis English cricket is in.

How good then that there has been a heart-warming story emerging out of the county game.

And a story that found its lowest point in Australia eight months ago.

Jonathan Trott left the Ashes tour in an absolute state. Mentally and physically frazzled and in need of a break, Trott had to find some professional support.

An ill-fated return was followed up with more time away and more help, but he's back and a hundred in his third first-class game since the comeback was just the tonic.

Trott hit 106 this week against a Sussex attack that included Chris Jordan and Australian Steve Magoffin who both tested out the middle of the pitch to see how he responded.

Not only did Trott stand up against their onslaught but he flourished in the way he did in scoring nine Test tons in 49 matches.

Whether he will eventually make it back to the international game or not, it is too soon to tell, but the sight of him marking out his guard in over five hours at the crease was a reassuringly familiar one.

Warwickshire will need him at his best too as they try to mount pressure on Championship leaders Yorkshire who went back to the top of the table thanks to a 220-run win over Middlesex.

If three of your top four batsmen register nought, including skipper Australia's Chris Rogers, then you're going to be up against it.

Middlesex though lost the game in the second innings rather than the first, where they conceded just a 21-run deficit.

Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale and New Zealander Kane Williamson did much of the damage in a total of 400 which presented far too stiff a target for Rogers and co.

There was some bad news though for the Kiwi who replaced Aaron Finch in the team, with his off-spin bowling action being declared illegal by the ICC following tests.

Quick Single: Williamson banned from bowling

Williamson will have to play as a batsman only now until he can prove he has a straight enough arm to bowl again.

Finch meanwhile has just one more match left for Yorkshire before he heads off to an Aussie training camp and in it he hopes to confirm their quarter-final qualification with an innings to be remembered by.

Finch's T20 form has fallen off the side of a cliff after an encouraging 88 early on, and even though his first-class performances have been good, he'll want to go out with a bang.

The quarter-finalists are starting to take shape, with the likes of Essex and Lancashire already qualifying, but are now just looking to secure home ties.

Essex were beaten though by Hampshire thanks to a swashbuckling fifty by Ashes opener Michael Carberry.

The word from the Essex dressing room is that they are much more comfortable in a run chase rather than setting the game up, but if they are to avoid missing out yet again in a tournament they should win, they will have to find a way to go big enough up front.

In Division Two of the Championship many thought Worcestershire might struggle to keep setting the pace at the top now that Saeed Ajmal has gone, but they won without him in fine style against Gloucestershire.

The bowlers shared the wickets out almost perfectly fairly to make up for Ajmal, and with Surrey losing to Kent, it is hard to see anyone denying them the title and promotion back up to Division One.