Published: Jun 26, 2015, 06:30 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 26, 2015, 10:43 AM (IST)
He may be known more as the grandson of the Denis Compton. However, Nicholas Richard Denis Compton has acquired a loyal and passionate fan following from his nine Tests. On his 32nd birthday, Sudatta Mukherjee spoke to the quiet, passionate and spirited Middlesex player about his famous grandfather, growing up in South Africa, Arsenal, Ashes 2015, New England, Kevin Pietersen and Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Joe Root and Kane Williamson.
CricketCountry (CC): The pressure of being Denis Compton’s grandson must have been immense. How did you cope with the expectations, growing up?
Nick Compton (NC): I have grown up in South Africa. It is very sport-mad country. I was very quickly into playing all sports as a young kid. I played cricket, hockey, rugby, tennis, soccer and athletics, a bit of everything. Growing up with sport was an integral part of my life. It was only when I was a little older did I understand the family history and the lineage. I took cricket seriously only at 13-14. It was only then I realised the achievements of my grandfather.
I was very competitive and professional before I realised grandfather’s achievements. It was on television that I watched my heroes play cricket in South Africa and England and wanted to emulate them. I wanted to be an international superstar like them. I don’t think my grandfather necessarily came into the equation. To me it has always been an intent and ambition, not necessarily like my grandfather, but the cricketers I admired. Like the Rahul Dravids, Brian Laras, Jacques Kallis’s, like them, I wanted to achieve what they did.
[inline-quotes align=”left”] Like the Rahul Dravids, Brian Laras, Jacques Kallis’s, like them, I wanted to achieve what they did [/inline-quotes]
CC: You were born in Natal, where both your father and uncle were active First-Class cricketers. Did South Africa have an influence on you?
NC: They were active cricketers but never wanted to be professional cricketers, I think. My grandfather being in England, my father and uncle moved back to South Africa. My dad was with my grandmother when my grandfather divorced her. So my dad and grandmother moved back to South Africa. I think that played a large factor in their lives. I don’t think they necessarily wanted the pressure or was not driven to play cricket at the highest level. One of the reasons I got into sport was my dad allowed me to choose cricket and all the sports — golf, cricket, soccer, tennis, and rugby — having an all-rounded sporting background. There was no pressure from my family to pursue cricket but I was internally driven and wanted to be a professional cricketer.
CC: You did have a good stint as a Test opener on the historical tour of India. Despite that you were shown the door as England kept experimenting with options while you kept scoring heavily at domestic level (including 1,000 runs in each of the last four seasons). Do you think you deserved a longer stint at the top?
NC: Yes, I definitely do. It was very upsetting at that times, being dropped just before The 2013 Ashes. It was a dream I have held in my mind as a young boy. I worked very hard to achieve that dream. So for me to miss out when I did well was very heartbreaking and very difficult to come to terms with because I thought it was one of the best phase of my cricketing career. Though I had a poor Test at Headingley against New Zealand, I went back and scored heavily in Australia in two matches and in domestic competitions. They experimented with other options which proved to be incorrect as they did not work. It was very frustrating. I did everything to get myself back in the frame but it seems that they had moved on for whatever reason. I have been working hard to prove that I am the right man to be a part of the England’s future.
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CC: You fell 50 short of scoring 1,000 First-Class runs by end of May in 2012 (you were deprived by rain at New Road). It has been done only twice in the last 75 years. Were you looking forward to that landmark and planning accordingly?
NC: It was the rain that denied me and it was very disappointing because I really wanted to break that record. But then it rained and I managed to get the hundred the next day (June 1). I missed it by a matter of hours. Nevertheless, it was a very exciting time for me, playing the way I was in that bit of arena. Scoring runs are important. If records come around, it is great. However, one of the key reasons of scoring runs is to make myself be selected for England.
CC: What are your expectations from ‘New England’ ahead of The Ashes?
NC: I think people are feeling optimistic about England’s chances. In the recently concluded series against New Zealand, both in Tests and ODIs. They have showcased good youngsters. However, sometimes that can be misconstrued. Test cricket is about character, patience, it is about a lot of qualities that you learn when you are a bit older. England are expected to compete well in the Ashes. A few months back everyone thought Australia would smash England but now that belief has changed. Australia are the favourites but England can compete. I just hope England has a solid batsman who can fight through difficult situation against good bowling.
CC: Who will dominate the series? The bowlers or the batsmen?
NC: Australia’s bowling is very strong at the moment and that will be one of the areas where England will need to compete. However, I think the wickets will be flat. They will be good wickets for the batsmen and as a result, there will be a lot of runs. Therefore, bowling will be of most importance. Batting will dominate the series, but bowling will be the most important thing because there will be a lot of runs.
[inline-quotes align=”left”] Virat Kohli is an exceptional player and in time could be the best among all of them [/inline-quotes]
CC: While the greats have retired from the sport, young guns like Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, and Steven Smith have emerged on the scene. Who do you think is the best among the four?
NC: Ooooh, that is a very hard question to answer. Kohli is the best one-day cricketer. He has proven that over a long period of time, I mean if you look at his records. He is somebody who still has a lot to prove in the Test arena. Steven Smith is the best Test batsman at the moment. I think all of them are very all-round players. Look at Joe Root and Kane Williamson: both have been prolific in ODIs, T20Is and Tests. It is a very difficult call. At the moment I am not actually sure who the best is. I think Kohli is an exceptional player and in time could be the best among all of them.
CC: What does England need to keep in mind while taking on this changed Australian team? This is not the same 2013 team, even though they may have same cricketers.
NC: England need to prepare themselves to come up against a very strong Australian bowling attack. They have got two good left-arm bowlers in [Mitchell] Starc and [Mitchell] Johnson. They have been very threatening in the world for the last two-three years. And this is an Ashes, I expect them to be at their very best. It is important that England have a very strong foundation at the top of the order because in Test cricket your opening batsman to be tactful so that the likes of Root, Jos Buttler, and Ben Stokes can play with more freedom and be positive. If England are getting knocked down and not scoring at the top, it could be very difficult for England in the series.
[inline-quotes align=”left”] Getting rid of Kevin Pietersen has left a hole in the England team [/inline-quotes]
CC: Since 2013 Ashes, England have won only one Test series, against India. They lost The Ashes Down Under, the series in Sri Lanka and have drawn one against each of New Zealand and West Indies. What do you think the side is not getting right?
NC: A lot of poor selection, poor errors, poor decisions, in term of selections and the key players not playing well. Alastair Cook has not performed to the level that he has done in the past. England have struggled for consistency. Getting rid of Kevin Pietersen has left a hole in the England team. He is obviously a great player. He is not someone who can be easily replaced. James Anderson has bowled well in Australia but others have not supported him. England also lack world-class spinners.
CC: Kumar Sangakkara recently wrote that he wished Kevin Pietersen was part of the new squad. What are your views?
NC: Cricket should play the best players and Pietersen is one of them. If he wants, if he trains hard, he has a lot to offer to cricket and the England cricket team. If you ask me, the best players should be picked.
CC: Do you look at cricket as a form of entertainment? Or are you working towards a specific goal? If yes, what is it?
NC: Nowadays the psychology of cricket has changed with the advent of Twenty20 cricket, IPL, Big Bash, etc. T20 is for entertainment, but I still look at Test cricket as the ultimate skill and test of toughness. It is something I have worked for many years to try and get better at. For me, my specific goal is to play Test cricket for England, to play The Ashes and score hundreds against the best oppositions in tough circumstances. That is something I want to continue to work for.
CC: You moved back to Middlesex from Somerset. How has been your time back?
NC: I had a great time at Somerset. They were probably the best cricketing years I had. I arrived there when Brian Rose was Director of Cricket. There was Marcus Trescothick, with whom I formed a good relationship and partnership. I loved Somerset for the success I had there. It helped me prepare to be at the international stage. I think from a cricketing point of view, they have great supporters and great camps. My family and my friends were in London. After I got dropped from England, it became increasingly more difficult to be somewhere where I was isolated and did not have the support of my family and friends. As you know, cricket can be a lonely place at times. Looking ahead at the future, I thought I should move to the London area. I also wanted to get back to Middlesex, where I could return as a senior and hopefully do something more special and try and regain my place in the England team.
CC: Let us venture a bit outside cricket. Arsenal won the Community Shield last year and the FA Cup this time. What do you think they need to do to win the Premier League title?
NC: Arsenal need a very strong holding midfielder. We also need a world-class goalkeeper. That will be enough. I think we have some exciting talents and goal-scorers. If they could get them, I think they will be more resolute and stronger squad. Having said that, in Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, we have got Aaron Ramsey and some very good players.
[inline-quotes align=”left”] Jacques Kallis as a cricketer is a man that I used to admire [/inline-quotes]
CC: Who are your icons outside cricket?
NC: Jacques Kallis as a cricketer is a man that I used to admire. I wanted to bat like him. I really loved the way that he was able to be very balanced throughout the innings and score hundreds. Rahul Dravid from India was another guy I admired growing up. They are the two characters that I tried to emulate. Outside cricket, someone like Mohammad Ali, he was one of my dad’s heroes. I loved the way he expressed his talents and really showed how sport and life can come together.
(Sudatta Mukherjee is a reporter with CricketCountry. Other than writing on cricket, she spends penning random thoughts on her blog. When she is not writing, you will catch her at a movie theatre or watching some English television show on her laptop. Her Twitter handle is @blackrosegal)
