'˜Carry on Nick' orders Bayliss

Nick Compton has been given the green light to keep on blocking by England coach Trevor Bayliss.
Nick ComptonNick Compton
Nick Compton

The Middlesex anchorman may not seem like the archetypal Bayliss cricketer, with the Australian keen to see his side dictate the pace and take on the opposition.

Indeed, after Compton helped secure victory over South Africa in his comeback Test with limpet-like knocks of 85 and 49 in Durban, Bayliss admitted he preferred two of his top three to be more attack-minded batsmen.

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With captain Alastair Cook unlikely to adopt the role of aggressor, that led to scrutiny over Compton’s methods.

And although England drew in Cape Town before securing the series in Johannesburg, the 32-year-old has appeared conflicted.

He has played more expansively but less judiciously at times, and the runs have not flowed.

But he has revealed, following discussions with Bayliss, that he feels no pressure to be anything other than himself in the middle.

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“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,” said Compton.

“I think the inference that he wanted two out of three..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.

“It would nice to whack it like David Warner or whack it like AB de Villiers. Wouldn’t we all like to do things differently and better?”

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England will make one enforced change for the fourth and final Test in Centurion today, with one of Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan or Mark Footitt to replace the injured Steven Finn.

The beaten Proteas are also due to make at least three alterations. Wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock is fit again after injuring his knee.

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