Harry Trott’s Lone Lord’s Century and the All‑Rounder’s Legacy
According to Wikipedia, George Henry Stevens Trott was born on 5 August 1866 and made his first-class debut for Victoria against an Australian XI on New Year's Day 1886 (Wikipedia). Wikipedia records that Harry Trott played 24 Test matches as an all-rounder between 1888 and 1898, making his Test debut in 1888 on a tour of England (Wikipedia, Wikipedia). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack named him as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1893 (Wisden Cricketers' Almanack).
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack states that Trott scored 143 runs, the only Test century of his career, during the first Test at Lord's in 1896 (Wisden Cricketers' Almanack). Wikipedia documents that Trott captained Australia during the 1897-98 home series, winning the five-Test series 4-1 and regaining The Ashes (Wikipedia). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack described him as “with the exception of [Billy Murdoch], ... incomparably the best captain the Australians had ever had in this country” and stated that “the Australians owed much to the unfailing skill and tact of Trott as a captain” (Wisden Cricketers' Almanack). Post office employers stated that “Harry Trott is a national institution” (Wikipedia).
Tom Horan remarked that “There is no bowler in England who has such a fast leg-break, and on a fine, firm pitch many a batsman has saved his wicket by his legs or body in opposing Trott's deliveries” (Wikipedia). Wikipedia notes that a severe mental illness abruptly ended Trott's Test career at the age of 31 following a series of seizures in 1898, and on 8 May 1899, Trott was committed to the Kew Asylum, a psychiatric hospital in Melbourne (Wikipedia). Wikipedia reports that Trott died of cancer on 9 November 1917 at the age of 51 (Wikipedia).