Nick Compton insists he does not need a licence to thrill to be a success in Trevor Bayliss’ new England.
Head coach Bayliss is keen for his side to play aggressive, in-yourface cricket, empowering the likes of Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali to go hard at the opposition bowlers in a heavy-hitting middle order.
But in Middlesex batsman Compton he has also found room for one of the game’s arch pragmatists. Like captain Alastair Cook, Compton prides himself on patience and playing the percentages – qualities that are less common than ever at the highest level, though no less effective.
In his Test comeback against South Africa in Durban, Compton helped set up victory with stoic innings of 85 and 49. Bayliss nevertheless indicated after that match that he preferred two of his top three batsmen to be natural stroke-makers and, with Cook going nowhere, that drew a bead on Compton.
In both Cape Town and Johannesburg he appeared less single-minded in his approach, punctuating his time at the middle with a series of more elaborate shots with only moderate success. But Compton insists there is no pressure on him to join the ranks of the entertainers.
“I had a chat with Trevor about it but there was no inference that was what he wanted or that’s the way he wanted me to play,” Compton said. “It was not so much about my style. I think the inference that he wanted two out of three (attacking batsmen)…he just wanted to make it clear that’s in an ideal world or hypothetically, ‘it would be nice if’.
“But I’ve been selected for the reason that I do what I do and he’s been very clear about me doing that role as well as I can. “I think I’ve played enough now to know that it would be nice to whack it like David Warner or whack it like AB de Villiers.
“Am I stubborn? Yeah, a little bit. But I’m proud of what I do and I feel strongly that I have qualities and attributes that yes, might not be as glamorous as others at this time and place in life, but still have a big part to play. I’m very clear about that.”
