Jonathan Trott, England’s top-scorer in the Champions Trophy, felt the hosts were peaking at the right time as they take on India in the final of the eight-nation tournament here on Sunday.
Trott, who guided the home team to a seven-wicket win over South Africa in the first semifinal at The Oval on Wednesday, has amassed 209 runs in the event. Only India’s Shikhar Dhawan (332 runs) and Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara (222) are ahead of him. The right-hander will be key to England’s fortunes in the final and he hoped the win against India at Edgbaston can lay the platform for a successful season.
“I hope we are peaking," said Trott while adding that England have to be on top of their game to beat India. “There's a lot of cricket left this summer, and I hope it will be a great one for England. It (winning) would be sort of having your cake and eating it. It is an amazing opportunity to play five games and win a Champions Trophy. We deserve to be in the final. We have played some good cricket, under pressure as well. India are a fantastic team, so we have to play our A-game,” he remarked.
Perfect start
An ICC one-day trophy has eluded England and they believe the victory over India will provide the perfect springboard for their defence of the Ashes starting next month. “It's been a fantastic tournament (for England), with regards to coming back from a loss against Sri Lanka. We had the high of beating Australia first up, and then the game against New Zealand -- a tight one in the end, but I thought we played really well - and to beat South Africa at The Oval (in Wednesday's semifinal was a great performance),” he pointed out.
Edgbaston is the home venue for Trott, who plays for Warwickshire. The 32-year-old was understandably excited at the prospect of playing in front of his home crowd. “You always have a little cheeky sneak at the fixtures, and where the final is going to be played, and I was very excited about getting here -- and it's happened. To walk out at Edgbaston will be extra-special.
"For me personally, I'm very excited. It's always fantastic for me, Ian Bell and Chris Woakes (his Warwickshire team-mates in the one-day squad) to play at Edgbaston. The guys are looking to seize the opportunity. They don't come around very often."
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