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Disappointed Nick Compton calls for a new opening stand for English Test team
By Sandy - Sep 1, 2018 12:11 am
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Former English opener Nick Compton has felt disappointed with the present English Test opening partners Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings and calls for a change to make a new opening stand.

Nick Compton

 

Since former English opener and skipper Andrew Strauss retired from the Test cricket in 2012, England cricket team has used around 12 different opening stands, mostly Alastair Cook is the one common opener in those, but none of those has clicked for a long time.

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Nick Compton, who has played 16 Tests after making an international cricket debut in November 2012, was one of those members in 12 different opening stands.

The present English Test opening partners Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings are consistently failing to provide the good starts which have been hugely affected the team’s planning.

Alastair Cook and Keaton Jennings

The ESPNcricinfo expert Compton said about the English Test opening partners, “There have been 12 opening stands since Strauss and I was among them, fortunately, or unfortunately and it seems to be a bit of poison chalice and it has come to a point where you can’t keep this revolving door going. The point is this opening partnership hasn’t worked and the time has come for a new opening stand.”

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However, Compton has backed the out-of-form experienced English opener Alastair Cook and has suggested batting at the no.3 position to strengthen the batting line-up.

cook
Alastair Cook

Compton said, “It also gives a chance for Cook to develop as well. Sport is about continual evolvement. You can look at the likes of Federer and Djokovic, both of whom are evolving and getting better. Cook is the most experienced player and we need an experienced number three. And if you have to have two youngsters, they aren’t going to do any worse than the current opening stand.

“Cook, who can play spin well, can play at three and it can then put Joe Root in his rightful position. Jonny Bairstow should be in at number five as he is not a technician and rather a positive player. That for me brings about a better English batting order.”