Marcus Trescothick backs Jonathan Trott's Ashes withdrawal

Former England batsman Marcus Trescothick said that Jonathan Trott had made the right decision to leave the Ashes tour due to a stress-related illness on Monday.

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced that Trott, who played in England's heavy first-Test defeat in Brisbane, had left Australia and been granted indefinite leave.

Trescothick withdrew from England's 2005-06 India tour and the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia in apparently similar circumstances and later released a book charting his struggles with anxiety and depression.

He told Sky Sports: "You just can't take any more, you just can't get through the day, let alone go out there and play a Test match and win a Test match. I sympathise with Trotty.

"I've been in that exact situation in '06 and '07 and tried to make that decision knowing that the consequences and all the attention it's going to bring onto you are going to be tough.

"I know there's going to be a massive media scrum over the next couple of days. We'll probably see him flying back home and see him arrive back at his house, but we just need to allow him that bit of time to get well again because your health is far more important than any game of cricket that we play."

Trescothick, who played in 76 Tests for England, said that the South Africa-born batsman's decision to leave the tour would not have been taken lightly.

"It would have been a horrible decision to make," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"To come out and talk about these things for the first time is tough. I'm sure he's not feeling great at all, but he's definitely made the right decision."

England all-rounder Stuart Broad expressed support for his team-mate on Twitter, writing: "Love Trotty. Absolute champion of a man. He knows he has all the support of all the people around him. Puts cricket in perspective."

Former England captain Nasser Hussain said that Trott's exit would have come as "a real shock" to his team-mates.

"It's shocking news," said Hussain, who now works as a television pundit.

"No-one had any whispers of it at all. I had a chat with Jonathan the day before the first Test and he seemed fine, but you never know what's going on in someone's mind."

Trott's departure came after he was described as "weak" by Australian batsman David Warner following a first-innings score of 10 at the Gabba. He went on to make only nine in his second innings.

The head of the Professional Cricketers' Association, which represents professional cricketers in England and Wales, lauded Trott's courage for deciding to seek help.

"This does require bravery. Admitting to a problem very publicly and leaving a tour and team-mates, that's the brave thing to do," said Angus Porter.

"This problem wasn't caused by an Aussie player sledging Jonathan on the pitch, or indeed by anything that was said in a press conference. This is a serious illness relating probably to chemical imbalances in the brain."