text: Jonathan Trott has admitted that he thought his England career was over after he reached 'breaking point' in Brisbane and was forced to quit the last Ashes tour. Trott was forced to head home to an uncertain future after his ordeal at the hands of Mitchell Johnson in the first Ashes Test but has battled back to be on the brink of making his 50th Test appearance against West Indies on Monday. 'To be brutally honest I didn't know if I'd be able to come back here and I didn't know if I was going to be selected but I had to get my head down and push my case forward and that's all I could do. I'm really glad to be here,' said a relaxed Trott before England headed to Antigua on Friday. Jonathan Trott is set to make his 50th Test appearance for England against the West Indies on Monday . 'There's excitement. It's something I wanted again but I didn't know if things would go my way again and I'd have this opportunity. I'm very pleased and happy to be here. There's a good bunch of guys here but on a personal note this is just the start of something I want to keep doing and earn my place back.' Trott looks certain to adopt a new role as opener alongside Alastair Cook at the start of a series England cannot afford to lose after battling back in county cricket with Warwickshire and then as captain of the Lions. 'That's all I've done so far. I went back to Warwickshire and earned my place in their side and then went on a Lions tour and I think I had to do that for myself and for everyone around me. It's important to have the mentality of coming here and trying to earn a spot in the starting XI. That's my goal. 'The guys have been really good. The team's changed a bit so there are guys I haven't played with and a few guys I played on the Lions tour with which is great. It was nice to go on that tour and see the players coming through there. To captain the Lions and go away with them was quite an eye opener and I really enjoyed it. It's good to see those guys putting their case forward.' Trott leaves the field following his dismissal during a warm-up match in St Kitts on Thursday . Trott believes that his Brisbane breakdown was the culmination of problems that were eventually successfully diagnosed as situational anxiety when he began working with renowned sports psychologist Steve Peters. 'It wasn't so much Brisbane it was more of a lead up to it. The whole months leading up to it, even in England, were really tough and Brisbane was the culmination, a breaking point if you like, and it was interesting to step back and look at the things that have happened since. You hope it's something you will never have to go through but it makes you a stronger person. It was a real challenge to be here but the challenge starts now. It's about building relationships again. It was Andy Flower who said in Brisbane that Trott had suffered from a 'stress related' condition for the bulk of his career. Is he still suffering? 'Its interesting, you speak to guys I've played with and they say "I've probably gone through something similar to you." But it wasn't at the sort of level where they were exposed and they were managing to hide it or bury it and got away with it. Trott plays a shot during England's game against a Nevis Invitational XI on Monday . 'Cricket is virtually 12 months a year so if something builds up and is not kept in check it can overtake everything. With time and hard work and the right people around me I've managed to get it right and I'm back performing. I've had a few obstacles to overcome and get through and I've been put under pressure quite a bit to get back to this position. 'I've been tested on and off the field and had to go through the ringer to get here. So, yes I feel really confident I can cope and do really well. Everything is in place to start performing again and hopefully contribute to getting the England side back to a successful state and doing really well. Opening will be totally different for him but England's middle order is secure after a successful summer against India. 'Yes it's okay,' Trott explained. 'It's an in to the team and I have to adjust. I hadn't really batted at No 3 before I batted there for England so I had to adjust to that and did that for a few years and really enjoyed it. It's always nice to bat with Alastair if I get the opportunity and he will be a familiar face if I go out there with him. There's experience round the team so if I can add to that and contribute it would be really great. 'It's worked out really well. I had to go back to county cricket and do the hard yards to earn selection just as I did when I first played county cricket. I've always thought that was the route I had to take. I had to go back and prove my case for selection. Not just putting up my hand and saying 'I want to play now.' Other guys have come in and done well so I had to go back and push my case. Trott looks sure to open with Alastair Cook (left) in the first Test against West Indies in Antigua on Monday . Then I had to go on the Lions tour. I remember Andy phoning me at the end of the season and at first I said "okay can I think about it" but then after a couple of weeks without playing it sounded like a good idea. You realise that six months is quite a long time without cricket in the life of a county player! It was the next obvious step to pushing my case to being here today. 'I'm really glad I did it and a lot of credit goes to the Lions. As a youngster the two tours I did with them helped my cricket and again now it's been a case of the Lions helping me make the step up. I'm really pleased with how it's gone.' Trott believes his issues came from putting too high expectations on himself. 'I think it was the culmination of playing a lot of cricket and having an imbalanced perspective of what I needed to do to succeed. I set myself unrealistically high expectations that I couldn't achieve. It just started building and I couldn't see the wood from the trees. You get into a situation where the expectations are almost inhuman. Trott is set for his first Test appearance since his Ashes turmoil against Mitchell Johnson 18 months ago . 'I wouldn't say my expectations have changed. I still have high expectations of myself but in different areas now. It's just realising what's important and having a balanced life. This game and the amount of time you spend on it can be all-encompassing so it's good to have a balanced view and I'm a big believer in that now. I went too far.' Trott is adamant that his selection here does not represent a gamble for England. 'I don't think so,' he added. 'Whenever you select someone there's an element of risk. Nobody really knows I suppose but I feel great and it feels pretty similar to when I was first picked. It's really exciting.' And he has no qualms about facing Australia and a certain Mitchell Johnson again this summer. 'I've faced them before,' he smiled. And Jonathan Trott has been smiling ever since he arrived here in the Caribbean.
target: Jonathan Trott is on the verge of winning his 50th Test cap on Monday .
  Trott is set to open alongside Alastair Cook against the West Indies .
  Trott is set for his first Test appearance since the 2013 Ashes series .
  The Warwickshire batsman left the tour due to a stress-related condition .
  Trott had struggled to deal with Australia bowler Mitchell Johnson .