London: In Nick Compton, England may well have found their opening batsmen for a good few years, according to cricket blogger, Lizzy Ammon Ammon believes Compton has all the qualities in him to cement his place as Alastair Cook’s opening batsman in the England Test squad. “Compton had to wait until the age of 29 to make his international debut in the current Test series with India and whilst he started the series understandably nervously with every innings it is becoming clearer that he is every inch a Test match batsman,” Ammon wrote in her column for the Daily Mirror.
“He might not have scored big runs in the Cook or Pietersen way during this tour but Compton has shown signs that he could well be the answer,” she added. “Yes his debut has come much later in life than others but batsmen aren’t like fast bowlers, he could go on to 36 or 37 - we could get 7 or 8 years out of him.
He may not drive beautifully like Vaughan or pull aggressively like Ponting but Compton is old school – a batsman who knows how to occupy the crease for a long time,” she further wrote. Ammon added: “He’s not afraid to leave the ball outside off stump and will grind out an innings not worrying about what his strike rate is. It was these attributes that saw him score big innings on seaming wickets in 2012 whilst other top order batsmen around the country were struggling.
He has a simple mantra – to stay at the crease.” “In both 2011 and 2012, Compton scored over 1000 first class runs. His record in 2012 was particularly impressive given the wet summer and difficult batting conditions,” she added. “His mental strength and capacity for the long haul makes Compton the perfect partner for Alastair Cook in an age where old-fashioned determined gritty batting isn’t always appreciated,” she said. “Feeding off the experience in the England squad, he can and will go from strength to strength,” she concluded.
ANI
First Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2012, 14:47