A homecoming of sorts for Compton
SOUTH AFRICA-BORN BATSMAN HOPES LOCAL KNOWLEDGE WILL HELP HIM TO REVIVE ENGLAND CAREER
ASouth African homecoming has not been unusual for England cricketers in recent times but for Nick Compton playing in the Boxing Day Test in Durban will have special resonance by fulfilling a childhood dream.
Not only will he be returning to the city where he was born and played tape ball cricket in the car park at the Kingsmead cricket ground as a youngster, the venue for the first Test against South Africa, but he is also poised to end two and-a-half years out in the cold.
Compton, 32, opened in his nine previous Tests but is likely to bat at three in South Africa, the position he confirms would be his preferred place to bat in the side and where he comes in for Middlesex.
For a player who put so much into his batting and fulfilling his international ambitions, a lengthy period out of the side has hurt Compton but he believes he has learned from the experience of being dropped and returned a wiser, more seasoned batsman who recognises that at times he put too much pressure on himself in his nine Tests.
“I kept the belief that I could get back in. I did not want to lose that hunger and drive,” Compton told The Sunday Telegraph.
“Ambition varies from person to person but mine has been to challenge myself at the highest level and play international cricket. But you ask yourself, will I play again?
“When I was dropped, there were times I doubted I would get back in but I tried to focus on making sure I was as professional as I could be for Somerset and Middlesex and doing what I needed to do for the team. I am proud I managed to do that, play well and that has given me a lot of confidence.
“The most important thing is not to put too much pressure on myself. When you are dropped, you can lie in bed and think about it as much as you want and I have had two years to reflect on my first stint.
“If I am honest I am just really grateful I have got this opportunity. I am looking to move forward. I want to take this opportunity with both hands and be a very solid contributor to the England team for a few years to come.
Childhood dream
“I am playing in a Test series in South Africa where as a young kid I would have dreamt of having this opportunity. It will be a special moment. As a young guy I used to go down on Friday evenings [to Kingsmead] to watch local one-day tournaments or Tests played there.
“We would play with tape cricket balls in the car park outside and those memories stick with me.
“The passion and real excitement of playing cricket really started there and it kicked on even further when I came to England and saw my grandfather [Denis] and realised this is what I wanted to do.
England is where I have made my life and home but to go back somewhere you grew up is very special. It will be made even more special if I play good cricket there and England play well.”
Compton lost his place after a nightmare Test against New Zealand at Headingley in 2013 when a rib injury hindered his performance but he also looked consumed by a fear of failure, knowing he was on the cusp of realising his ambition of playing in the Ashes. “I had one eye preparing for the Ashes,” he admits.
“I needed to get through that New Zealand series and I did not do well enough. I have reflected on that and I have learnt. Four Test matches in South Africa is what is in front of me now. My eyes are not looking any further than that.”
Compton had also fallen foul of Andy Flower but the culture of fear has gone. Samit Patel has already benefited from a slate wiped clean by Trevor Bayliss, who has created a relaxed vibe that should ease Compton back in. The loss of his friend Phillip Hughes has put cricket in perspective. Compton attended his funeral in Australia last year and remains in touch with his sister, Megan.
“The family are going through a tough time but Megan has been working on a book recently which has been therapeutic. What they find difficult is that it was such a freak accident.
“It is not easy if someone dies from a known disease but at least there is a form of acceptance over a period of time but to die in such tragic circumstances leaves you with so many questions. Why Phil? Why now?
Grief is a process you can’t put a number on. They will always go through it. But they have got a lot of support and are incredibly strong.
Compton lost his place after a nightmare Test against New Zealand at Headingley in 2013 when a rib injury hindered his performance but he also looked consumed by a fear of failure.
Being there
“I have just tried to be there for Megan as someone she can talk to and reminisce about the funny times and what Phil meant to me and his friends. I certainly will not forget Phil. I have just had a Middlesex shirt and a picture of us when we went to Emirates together framed and is in my house and is something that I will keep close to me.”
South Africa brings Compton back face to face with some old friends, chief among them Hashim Amla, a player with whom he grew up in youth squads in Natal. Compton has never played a professional match in South Africa but he knows the conditions and what it will take to win.
“You can’t look past good foundations, getting in, seeing off the new ball and cashing in. We need to take our totals as high as possible. If you are getting 400 scores more often than not then you are in the contest.
“We have the expertise to do that and the bowling with [James] Anderson and [Stuart] Broad to back it up. It is going to be a challenge. England have not played there for five years and it is important we give ourselves the best chance by spending as much time as we can in the middle.”
That will be Compton’s job. To build the base and be the solid presence England have lacked since the end of Jonathan Trott’s time.
The passion and real excitement of playing cricket really started there and it kicked on even further when I came to England and saw my grandfather [Denis, above].
Nick Compton England batsman
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