NICK COMPTON EXCLUSIVE - I’m ready to fight for England’s top order in South Africa

England’s quest for a solid opening pair continues after a disappointing showing against Pakistan - and in a Yahoo exclusive Nick Compton says he’s ready to deliver if he is handed a dream return against South Africa.

Nick Compton says he is determined to reclaim his place in the England Test team and hopes to solidify the top order with a dream return in his native South Africa.

Compton scored two centuries in 17 innings as opener alongside captain Alastair Cook in 2012 and 2013 and the two share the highest average for more than 50 years for England’s opening wicket of 57.93.

Since Andrew Strauss retired in 2012, seven openers have been selected alongside Cook. The latest, Moeen Ali, averaged just 12 in the three Tests against Pakistan having been promoted to opener to add another spinner to the side.

The England squad will be announced next week with batting the main focus and Compton is already set to be in South Africa to captain a simultaneous Marylebone Cricket Club (the MCC) tour.

But the right-hander is heading out earlier than scheduled to work with ex India coach Gary Kirsten in a bid to add to his nine Tests and he told Yahoo: “Hopefully England will require my services. I’ll be out there, I’ll be fit, I’ll be ready and I’m quietly confident that if I get my chance then this could be my moment.

“I’m going to spend a bit of time with Gary Kirsten who runs an academy. He’s a fantastic guy and a brilliant coach. There’s no point lying down for six months, there’s work to be done and I want to improve.”

Compton was described as a rock by his Middlesex captain James Franklin at the end of the summer while batting at three in a fragile top order that ultimately secured second in the County Championship.

But he is ready to step up into an opener spot for England, as he did in his first Tests, and believes his ability to be ‘a rock’ is exactly what the side needs against a strong South Africa.

“I like (to be) the solid rock that people can bat around and once you get in then you cash in. That’s my mentality,” he said. “The top three positions are specialist positions. They are roles you have to spend years cultivating.

“I got picked for England as opener three years ago when batting three. I’ve opened for a lot of my career but the number three role has added a little bit of variety and I’ve really enjoyed it.

“As a number three I really like to plonk myself in there and you can really hold the fort. But opening or batting three is not too different. And that’s what I hope will come for me when it comes to selecting the line up for South Africa.

“I hope I can be seen as someone who can hold things together and be the bedrock of the batting and show some character and fight and make it very hard for the South Africans to get wickets.”

Compton, 32, is the grandson of England legend Denis Compton and was born in Durban, where the first Test will be played on Boxing Day.

He was raised in South Africa and given his background was always destined to play cricket. But he left for England at the age of 16 and has only had eyes for international caps for one nation.

“I’ve only ever had a British passport, England is very much my home and playing international cricket was very much my dream,” he said. “As long I’m a professional cricketer then playing for England will always remain my goal.

“I was born and raised in South Africa and it would be a dream come true to walk out to bat there for England and stick around, show some fight and character and really be a thorn in their backside.”

Compton’s last Test was was in May 2013 against New Zealand at Headingley where he scored only eight runs in the match, with his total of seven in the second innings coming off 45 balls.

Since then there have been rumours that his face didn’t fit for England but a meeting in September with England head coach Trevor Bayliss, who was appointed this summer, has given Compton renewed hope.

“It was nice to meet Trevor, he seems like a good man. He seems like a very, very level individual and has been successful as a coach,” said Compton.

“He’s the type of man that I’d like to take the conversation forward with and get on the field to earn his respect and gain his support for what I can do for England.

“Test cricket has almost been over complicated of late. You’ve got to be good enough as a top order batsman to bat for one or even two days and that’s definitely something that I’ve set myself to do.

“But if you look at the way Test matches have gone, not only in England but around the world, not many Test matches have lasted five days of late.

“So I feel I can uncomplicate matters and get out there and bat for a long period and if I bat for three, four or five hours then I know that the team are really benefiting from that and I don’t want to change that idea much.

“Of course I want to keep improving and getting stronger in areas - there’s no doubt that you keep trying to do that. But from a mental point of view, that’s a quality that I’ve really practiced and worked on for hours and hours away from what you’ve seen in the middle.

“Those are attributes that I hold close to myself, it’s something that I can really give and provide as an asset to a cricket team and there’s no doubt I can do that for England.

“The South African bowling is going to be tough but any player who has higher ambitions wants to play against the best in the world and facing Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and the like is probably the biggest challenge.

“That would give me a lot of pleasure, I’d actually love to do that - to say I’m champing at the bit would be an understatement.”

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