Nick Compton
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Nicholas Richard Denis Compton (born 26 June 1983) is a South African-born English former
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
and
first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
er who most recently played for
Middlesex County Cricket Club Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Middlesex which has effectively been subsumed within the ceremonial ...
. The grandson of Denis Compton, he represented
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 16 Test matches. A right-handed top order batsman and occasional right-arm
off spin Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal delivery is an off break, which spi ...
bowler, he made his List-A debut for Middlesex in 2001 and made his first-class debut three years later. A move to
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
in 2010 saw Compton establish himself as a consistent scorer in a strong top order and following a prolific domestic season he made his England Test debut against
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in November 2012. In April 2013, the ''
Wisden Cricketers' Almanack ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
'' named Compton as one of their five ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year. He made a guest appearance for Worcestershire during the 2013 season. Compton left Somerset to return to Middlesex at the end of the 2014 season. On 23 June 2016, Compton announced that he would be taking an extended break from the game, following his disappointing performances in the Test series against Sri Lanka. He returned to first-class cricket in August 2016. He retired in 2018.


Early years and personal life

Compton was born and raised in
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
,
Natal Province The Province of Natal (), commonly called Natal, was a province of South Africa from May 1910 until May 1994. Its capital was Pietermaritzburg. During this period rural areas inhabited by the black African population of Natal were organized into ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, the son of former first-class cricketer
Richard Compton Richard Compton (March 2, 1938 – August 11, 2007) was an American actor, director and writer, primarily in television. Compton had small parts as an actor in film and television series, including minor roles in two episodes of ''Star Trek ...
and
Zimbabwean Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Moza ...
mother Glynis who had backgrounds in public relations and journalism. Compton was immersed in cricket from an early age: he is the grandson of English test cricketer and
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
footballer Denis Compton and the great-nephew of established first-class cricketer and fellow Arsenal footballer
Leslie Compton Leslie Harry Compton (12 September 1912 – 27 December 1984) was an English sportsman who played football and cricket for Arsenal and Middlesex, respectively. He gained two England caps late in his football career, and remains the oldest outfi ...
. Compton's father
Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Frankish language, Old Frankish and is a Compound (linguistics), compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' an ...
and uncle
Patrick Patrick may refer to: * Patrick (given name), list of people and fictional characters with this name * Patrick (surname), list of people with this name People * Saint Patrick (c. 385–c. 461), Christian saint *Gilla Pátraic (died 1084), Patrick ...
both played first-class cricket for
Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...
in South Africa. Compton moved to England while in his teens and attended
Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...
on a sports scholarship scheme where he was mentored by housemaster
David Elleray David Roland Elleray, (born 3 September 1954), is an English former football referee who officiated in the Football League, Premier League and for FIFA. As of September 2021 he held the position of Technical Director at the IFAB. During his ...
. Compton impressed with a hatful of centuries for the school playing as captain and was prolific during the 2000 season for Middlesex's Under-19 side. Having only just turned 18, Compton played for an ECB Schools side against West Indies Under-19s in three matches playing as an
opening batsman In cricket, the batting order is the sequence in which batters play through their team's innings, there always being two batters taking part at any one time. All eleven players in a team are required to bat if the innings is completed (i.e., if ...
, top scoring for the side in the third match with 74. A month later, he represented England Under-18s during the same tour, on this occasion scoring 42 playing at number three. Compton began a social science degree at
Durham University , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills (Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_chan ...
, matriculating at
Hatfield College , motto_English = Either the first or with the first , scarf = , named_for = Thomas Hatfield , established = , senior_tutor = , master = Ann MacLarnon (2017–) , undergraduates = 1010 (2017/18) , postgradu ...
. However, a persistent groin problem, which eventually led to surgery, curtailed his cricket and led to him eventually withdrawing from his course.


First-class career

Upon completing his A levels at Harrow in June 2001, Compton joined
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
on a summer contract, and entered into the record books in his debut Second XI Championship match, Compton was the last of five batsman out in six balls bowled by Glamorgan paceman
Alex Wharf Alexander George Wharf (born 4 June 1975) is a former English ODI cricketer and a first-class cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and a right-handed fast-medium bowler, who ended his career with the Welsh side Glamorgan County Cricket Clu ...
. Compton made his Middlesex first-team debut in the Norwich Union League at the end of the 2001 season, batting at six he scored just 6 runs from 9 deliveries in a 40 run defeat by
Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...
. His promising performances for Middlesex's Under-19s and Second XI led him to receive the
NBC Denis Compton Award The NBC Denis Compton Award was an annual award given to 'The Most Promising Young Player' at each of the 18 first-class counties in England and Wales. The award was made between 1996 and 2011. A player may receive the award more than once. Hist ...
, named after his grandfather, awarded to the most promising Middlesex player for 2001. The following winter, he was selected for the England Under-19s squad to take part in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in January and February 2002. Compton played in five of England's six matches as they reached the second group stage, Compton scoring 133 runs with one 50 at an average of 23. In July 2002, Compton made his U19 Test match debut against
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, but made a total of just six runs from his two innings opening the batting. He had to wait until August for his next first-team appearance where he played four further Norwich Union League, impressing in reaching his maiden one day half-century with an 86
not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at t ...
against Lancashire. His promise saw him awarded Middlesex's NBC Denis Compton award for the second consecutive year. Compton did not play at all for the Middlesex first team during the 2003 season due to injury and made his first-class debut against
Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence Cambridge University Cricket Club, first recorded in 1817, is the representative cricket club for students of the University of Cambridge. Depending on the circumstances of each individual match, the club has always been recognised as holding f ...
in May 2004, Compton played a further three matches in the County Championship that season, in addition to ten one day matches and his
Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...
debut. He only played in one first-class match in 2005 but scored his debut half-century in the match against Cambridge UCCE. In the winter of that year he would continue to hone his skills by playing domestic club cricket in Durban for Berea Rovers, the former local club of South African-born England cricketer
Kevin Pietersen Kevin Peter Pietersen (born 27 June 1980) is a cricket commentator, conservationist, and former England international cricket player. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who played in all three formats for England betw ...
. He established himself in 2006, with a string of strong scores, including six centuries, and was award a
county cap In sport, a cap is a player's appearance in a game at international level. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of rugby football and association football. In the ea ...
by the Middlesex in that season. His breakthrough season saw him score 1,315 runs at an average of 46.96, topping Middlesex's first-class runs charts, with his highest score of 190 coming in the County Championship match against
Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
in July helping Middlesex to draw the match after being forced to
follow-on In the game of cricket, a team who batted second and scored significantly fewer runs than the team who batted first may be forced to follow-on: to take their second innings immediately after their first. The follow-on can be enforced by the team ...
. This breakthrough saw Compton awarded the NBC Denis Compton Award for a third time in 2006. Compton's good form saw him selected to tour with the England A team in
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
in 2006–07. His highest score in a first-class match was 92 against Bangladesh A as he topped the England A averages with 140 runs at 46.66, though he did hit 152 * in one of the minor tour matches.


Later Middlesex career

The 2007 season saw a dip in form for Compton scoring less than 400 runs in first-class cricket with just three fifties, including featuring for the
Marylebone Cricket Club Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
(MCC) against County Champions
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
. Although his one-day form improved with his first List A century in the 2007 Friends Provident Trophy against
Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
in June 2007, scoring 110 not out. During the 2008 season Compton only played five first-class matches scoring just 68 runs at an average of 8.50, thus the 2009 season was a marked improvement top scoring in first-class cricket for Middlesex with 860 runs including two centuries and three half-centuries. In one-day cricket Compton was in fine form with three centuries and 694 runs at an average of 77.11, and a highest score of 131 against
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. Compton rejected an improved two-year contract with Middlesex acting on a verbal agreement with
Angus Fraser Angus Robert Charles Fraser (born 8 August 1965) is an English cricket administrator. He served as the managing director of Middlesex Cricket between 2009 and 2021, before assuming a new role heading the club's academy He is also a former E ...
, Middlesex's managing director of cricket, when he signed a new contract a year ago, that he would be free to move on if he wished at the end of the season.


Move to Somerset

Having left Middlesex because he wanted a fresh challenge, Compton subsequently signed for
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
on a multi-year contract, where he was expected to bat in the top three. Compton enjoyed a moderately successful first season in 2010 for Somerset, in first-class cricket only scoring 465 runs but in one day cricket Compton scored six fifties helping Somerset to the 2010 Clydesdale Bank 40 final against
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
and recorded his highest score of 74 in Twenty20 cricket. Compton spent the first half of the 2010–11 season with
Mashonaland Eagles The Mashonaland Eagles is one of five cricket Zimbabwean cricket franchises. They are based in the Harare Metropolitan and Mashonaland Central area and play both first-class and limited overs cricket. They play their home matches at Harare Spo ...
in Zimbabwe, impressing in all forms of cricket scoring 209 runs in three first-class matches at an average of 41.80, scoring 204 runs in three one day matches at an average of 102, and scoring three fifties in six Twenty20 matches including matching his highest score of 74. He started the 2011 season well for Somerset with a one-day century in the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 century against the
Unicorns The unicorn is a legendary creature that has been described since Classical antiquity, antiquity as a beast with a single large, pointed, spiraling horn (anatomy), horn projecting from its forehead. In European literature and art, the unicor ...
on 1 May 2011, and just over a week later scored his first ever double century in first-class cricket with 254 * against
Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
. Compton's first-class form continued with him scoring 1,098 runs at an average of 57.78 and being awarded his county cap for Somerset. The end of the season saw Compton helping Somerset against the odds to the semi-final of the 2011 Champions League Twenty20 in India. With the earliest-ever start to a first-class cricket season, Compton took advantage by scoring 236 against
Cardiff MCCU Cardiff South Wales MCC University, formerly Cardiff University Centre of Cricketing Excellence, commonly abbreviated to Cardiff MCCU, is one of six University Centres of Cricketing Excellence supported by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC). It c ...
on 1/2 April 2012. This was the second earliest double-century in English cricket (after James Hildreth), and Compton's partnership of 450 with Hildreth for the second wicket set a new first-class record for Somerset. Compton's good form continued with a second double-century against
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The traditi ...
and having amassed 685 runs by 27 April, with this weight of runs earning him a recall to the England Lions for the tour match against the
West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
. Compton only scored 21 runs for the Lions but still appeared to be within range of becoming the first batsman to reach
1,000 first-class runs before the end of May A batsman has scored 1,000 first-class runs before the end of May in an English cricket season on only eight occasions. In five of these occasions, the batsman reached 1,000 runs with innings played in April and May, but three scored 1,000 runs ...
for 25 years, before a washout on the second afternoon of Somerset's match against
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
left him stranded on 950 runs. He nevertheless reached the landmark with a century the next day to become the earliest batsman to reach this milestone in 24 years. Compton's good first-class form continued until injury hampered his end to the 2012 season, while playing for the England Lions against Australia A in August 2012 despite scoring 46 in the first innings of the match he was ruled out of the rest of the match with back spasms. Compton finally returned to cricket on 6 September playing as a guest for Yorkshire Second XI against Somerset Second XI in their second innings scoring 39 and retiring not out in an innings defeat for Yorkshire. Compton returned to the Somerset side for their final County Championship match against Worcestershire, Compton scored 155 * in his only innings in the match as Somerset wrapped up the runners-up spot in the competition, the century meant Compton finished the English cricket season with 1,494 runs in first-class cricket at an average of 99.60. Compton was the only English batsman to score 1,000 runs in the County Championship and won the
PCA Player of the Year The PCA Player of the Year Awards are a set of annual cricket awards. Awards are given for the Men's Player of the Year, Women's Player of the Year, Men's Young Player of the Year and Women's Young Player of the Year, presented to the player who ...
award for the first time. At the end of the 2014 season, Compton left Somerset having become disillusioned with the game and wanting to return to living in London.


Return to Middlesex

On 12 December 2014,
Middlesex County Cricket Club Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Middlesex which has effectively been subsumed within the ceremonial ...
confirmed the return of Compton on a three-year contract. In January 2017 his contract was extended to the end of the 2018 season. However, he did not make a single appearance in the 2018 season.


International career


2012 India

Following the retirement of
Andrew Strauss Sir Andrew John Strauss (born 2 March 1977) is an English cricket administrator and former player, formerly the Director of Cricket for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He played county cricket for Middlesex, and captained the Engla ...
and the exclusion of
Kevin Pietersen Kevin Peter Pietersen (born 27 June 1980) is a cricket commentator, conservationist, and former England international cricket player. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional off spin bowler who played in all three formats for England betw ...
, Compton's weight of runs was enough to earn him a first call-up to the
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
Test squad for the tour to India in winter 2012–13. Compton made his England debut opening the batting with captain
Alastair Cook Sir Alastair Nathan Cook (born 25 December 1984) is an English cricketer who plays for Essex County Cricket Club, and played for England in all international formats from 2006 to 2018. A former captain of the England Test and One-Day Intern ...
in their first tour match against
India A The India A cricket team is a national cricket team representing India. It is the second-tier of Indian international cricket, below the full India national cricket team. The team is currently captained by Priyank Panchal in first-class cricket a ...
, but made a third ball
duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
in England's only innings. The second tour match against Mumbai A saw Compton open the batting with his rival for the Test opening spot
Joe Root Joseph Edward Root, (born 30 December 1990) is an English international cricketer, who plays for the England Test and One Day International (ODI) teams, and formerly captained the Test team. He also represents Yorkshire in English domestic ...
. Compton scored just one run in the first innings, but completed his first half century for England in the second innings, as he finished 64
not out In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress. Occurrence At least one batter is not out at t ...
. In the third and final tour match against
Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ar ...
, Compton completed half centuries in both innings of the match making 74 and 79 respectively, which included a 166-run opening partnership with Alastair Cook in the first innings. Compton made his test debut in the first Test of the series in
Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...
. He made 9 off 53 balls in the first innings, before being bowled by an
off break Off spin is a type of finger spin bowling in cricket. A bowler who uses this technique is called an off spinner. Off spinners are right-handed spin bowlers who use their fingers to spin the ball. Their normal delivery is an off break, which spi ...
by
Ravichandran Ashwin Ravichandran Ashwin () (born 17 September 1986) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team as a bowling All-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm off-break, he plays for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricke ...
and then made 37 runs in a first-wicket, second innings partnership of 123 with Alastair Cook, before being given out lbw to
Zaheer Khan Zaheer Khan (born 8 October 1978) is an Indian former professional cricketer who played all forms of the game for the Indian national team from 2000 till 2014. He is a fast-medium left-arm bowler. He was the second-most successful Indian pace ...
. Compton again struggled in the second Test, making 29 in the first innings. However, he scored an unbeaten 30 in the second innings to help England win the second Test by 10 wickets. Compton made his maiden Test half-century in the 3rd Test at
Eden Gardens The Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,000. Eden Gardens is often re ...
, going on to his highest test score of 57 before being dismissed lbw by
Pragyan Ojha Pragyan, NIT Trichy is the technical festival of the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. Since its inception in 2005, it has been held every year over a period of three and a half days during the months of January, February, or M ...
. In the fourth Test he made scores of 3 and 34 as England drew the match and won the Test series in India 2–1, which was their first series victory in India since the 1984–85 tour, with Compton featuring in all four of the Test matches therefore earning himself an ECB incremental contract. Compton finished the series having scored 208 runs in his eight Test innings at an average of 34.66. Compton had helped Cook post four successive 50 partnerships ensuring decent platforms for England and according to
ESPNcricinfo ESPN cricinfo (formerly known as Cricinfo or CricInfo) is a sports news website exclusively for the game of cricket. The site features news, articles, live coverage of cricket matches (including liveblogs and scorecards), and ''StatsGuru'', a ...
's George Dobell he rated Compton's series as a 7/10 and that "while he proved his ability to occupy the crease, some doubt remains about his ability to press on and dominate."


2013 New Zealand

Compton's performance in India was enough to maintain his place in England's Test squad for the
tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
to
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in March 2013. Following a
duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...
in the first innings of the first Test of the series Compton responded with his maiden Test century, scoring 117 as England drew the Test match. He proceeded to make a more fluent second century, scoring exactly 100, in the second Test match. Compton finished the drawn series as England's third highest run-scorer with 232 runs at an average of 46.40. Compton was named as one of the five ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year in 2013, recognising his achievements during the previous English season. Compton returned to County Cricket in late April 2013, with a century and half-century against county champions
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
, and maintained his place in the England test squad for the home series against
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. Compton fared badly in the two test home series scoring just 39 runs in 4
innings An innings is one of the divisions of a cricket match during which one team takes its turn to bat. Innings also means the period in which an individual player bats (acts as either striker or nonstriker). Innings, in cricket, and rounders, is bot ...
with a high score of just 16. He performed particularly poorly in the first Test, making scores of 1 and 7, although England still went on to win the match and the series 2–0. This failure led to renewed calls from the media for Compton to be dropped for the Ashes in favour of
Joe Root Joseph Edward Root, (born 30 December 1990) is an English international cricketer, who plays for the England Test and One Day International (ODI) teams, and formerly captained the Test team. He also represents Yorkshire in English domestic ...
, but Compton returned to first-class cricket for Somerset with a century against
Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
, and then backed this up with a vital half-century at
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
that guided Somerset to their first victory of the season. Despite this form Compton was dropped by England for the Ashes warm-up against
Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
in favour of Joe Root, with Compton omitted from the squad and national selector
Geoff Miller Geoffrey Miller, (born 8 September 1952) is an English former cricketer, who played in 34 Test matches and 25 One Day Internationals for the England cricket team between 1976 and 1984. He played for Derbyshire from 1973 to 1986, captaining t ...
, describing Root as "currently the best opening partner" for
Alastair Cook Sir Alastair Nathan Cook (born 25 December 1984) is an English cricketer who plays for Essex County Cricket Club, and played for England in all international formats from 2006 to 2018. A former captain of the England Test and One-Day Intern ...
. On his 30th birthday, Compton's form continued with a defiant 81 for Somerset against the touring
Australians Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural. For most Australians, several (or all) ...
at Taunton. Compton was rewarded for his form as the ECB arranged for him to play as a guest for
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...
in their tour match against Australia as a further audition for his Ashes spot. Despite still being in the selector's thoughts, Compton did not play any part in the series.


2015/16 South Africa

In November 2015, after more than two years out of the side Compton was recalled to the Test squad for the tour to
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. In the first test in his home town of
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
, Compton, batting at number 3 in the order, scored 85 runs from 236 balls in the first innings, and shared a century stand with
James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
to help England recover from 49–3 to 303 all out. Compton fell just short of another half-century in the second innings, being caught behind by
AB de Villiers Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984) is a former South African international cricketer. AB de Villiers was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career and was one of the five Wi ...
from a
Morné Morkel Morné Morkel (born 6 October 1984) is a South African former cricketer who played international cricket between 2006 and 2018. He is a right-arm fast bowler and lower order left-handed batsman. Morkel made his Test match debut in 2006 and w ...
delivery on 49. Compton continued his good form in the first innings of the second Test, scoring 45 in the first innings. Both England and South Africa posted over 600 in their first innings, and the match ended in a draw. Compton was dismissed for 15 in England's second innings. In the third Test he made 26 in the first innings but was out for a duck in the second innings as England successfully chased down a modest victory target to take an unassailable 2–0 lead in the series. He scored just 25 runs in the fourth Test, which England went on to lose, although they won the series 2–1.


2016 Sri Lanka

In May 2016 Compton was announced in the England test squad for the first match against Sri Lanka. Many were suggesting that this would be his last chance for England, but he scored a first innings duck, after being caught behind of the bowling of debutant
Dasun Shanaka Madagamagamage Dasun Shanaka (born 9 September 1991) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer and current limited overs captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team. He generally plays as an all-rounder and is a right handed batter and right-arm medium ...
. After England recorded an empathic victory in the first match, they named an unchanged side for the second and Compton kept his place for the second Test. He was dismissed for just nine in the first innings, but looked in better touch in the second innings and scored an unbeaten 22 to help England to a nine wicket victory. In the final match of the series he was out for one in England's first innings, before making 19 in the second, as the match ended in a draw. Having not featured in a single match of the 2018 season for Middlesex, Compton announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in October 2018.


Post-Retirement life

After retiring, Compton became a professional
photographer A photographer (the Greek language, Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographe ...
.


References


External links

* (archived 2018) *
Player Profile: Nick Compton
from ECB {{DEFAULTSORT:Compton, Nick 1983 births Living people Cricketers from Durban People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham English cricketers England Test cricketers Middlesex cricketers Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers Mashonaland cricketers Somerset cricketers Sri Lanka Ports Authority Cricket Club cricketers Worcestershire cricketers NBC Denis Compton Award recipients Wisden Cricketers of the Year English people of South African descent English people of Zimbabwean descent European sportspeople of Zimbabwean descent South African people of English descent South African people of Zimbabwean descent Sportspeople of Zimbabwean descent