The opening debate – Time to uproot Compton?

As Kane Williamson found Nick Compton’s inside edge during the evening session of Day Three at Headingley, the cackle of criticism surrounding the England and Somerset opener reverberated around the airwaves, and no doubt made its way as far as Australian captain Michael Clarke, currently on a jet somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean on his way to England. The journey has been a bumpy one for Clarke thus far, with England’s bowlers once again showing their intent and variety, as they disposed of 7 Kiwi batsmen for the loss of just 60 runs. With the Australian top order battling with themselves, as well as a lack of form (and perhaps world class ability), to see Steve Finn and Graeme Swann return to their best will not have helped Clarke’s frame of mind. Yet the turbulence surrounding England’s opening conundrum may provide some welcome relief at last.

Nick Compton – Under pressure after two more failures at Headingly

Compton’s 7, made off 45 balls (at a strike rate of 15.55), was attritional at best. At worst it was excruciating, and provided an arsenal of ammunition for those pundits and ex-players who have argued from the very origin of his selection, that the Somerset man is simply not up to the mark in Test cricket. It is hard not to feel some kind of sympathy for Compton. For starters, he will always live in the shadow of his grandfather Dennis. What’s more, he has never scored particularly quickly, even at county level. Indeed, even throughout last summer, where he scored 1191 championship runs at an astonishing average of 99, he managed a strike rate of just 44.69. Factor in most of these runs were scored at Taunton, a ground where games are often dominated by a deluge of runs, at a comparatively fast pace, and one gets an idea of the sort of batsman Nick Compton is. He is not a risk taker. He scores at his own, steady pace, ignores distractions occurring around him, and sells his wicket dearly. This is ideal for certain situations. When England were under the cosh at times in India this winter, and where the scoring rate paled in comparison to the importance of posting a steady start, without losing quick wickets, Compton played an extremely valuable role. Yet he looked out of place at Headingley. This was a session where he could not simply ignore the game situation. Having controversially chosen not to enforce the follow on, the onus was on England to keep pushing, to drive the game forward, and with the threat of rain on Tuesday, force the initiative.

Yet Compton seemed incapable of doing that. His game relies primarily on blocking or leaving good balls, and putting away bad balls. Intense concentration means that he has had considerable success with this technique in the last few seasons. However, Test cricket brings another challenge. Those bad balls are extremely rare. Thus, Compton scores at an even slower rate. Thus, the pressure builds greater. It is a vicious cycle. The contrast to Alastair Cook’s innings – a man who has been out of form so far this summer – was marked. The contrast to Jonathan Trott – a quick glance at the pair’s statistics should be suffice.

There is a feeling that Compton’s failure delighted a host of cricket writers on Sunday, many of whom had spent their morning columns focussing on Joe Root’s magnificent innings the previous day, and comparing it to Compton’s travails. Root’s knock was sublime. There is something about the way he plays the ball so late, watching it right until it is under his eyes, that evokes memories of Michael Vaughan at his best. Unlike Compton, Root’s fierce concentration is contrasted by a feeling of comfort at the crease, and unlike Compton, he seems able to switch off and on when he needs to. One cannot help but feel that he might be rather better at dealing with the highs and lows of the international game than Compton.

Joe Root – His magnificent hundred on Saturday has been deservedly praised.

However, opening the batting is an entirely different challenge to batting at number 5 or 6. This is amplified in England, when the new ball swings more, and its unpredictability can force batsmen to misjudge deliveries more easily than when it is 50 overs old. The 2013 batch of Dukes balls seems to be particularly prevalent in this regard. It should also not be forgotten that so far in Root’s short Test career he has had his own problems with the new ball, and the England set up will be well aware of promoting Root to the opening slot before he is ready. One might also argue that he is becoming increasingly essential to an England middle order which has been somewhat inconsistent in the last year, and would provide excellent foil for the punchy Pietersen and Prior who surround him. Aside from this, were he to move up the order to open, the open vacancy at number 6 would be far from straightforward to fill, with Jonny Bairstow yet to convince he has the technique to succeed when he is cramped for room around off stump.

All this makes for an intriguing debate amongst the England hierarchy. Compton is undoubtedly under pressure, but the lack of obvious alternatives available to England make the opening debate a more difficult one than many are suggesting. Trying to guess which England pair face up to the Australians at Trent Bridge in a few months time may be a tougher task than guessing the opening partnership of their counterparts.