Joe Root backs Nick Compton to come good at his homeground

England vice-captain, Joe Root backed his teammate Nick Compton to perform better in the third and final Test of the series against Sri Lanka at his home venue, Lords.

Compton has been underperformed throughout this series with scores of 0, 9 and 22 from the three innings so far. He hasn’t proved himself in the Test cricket so far with averaging just above 30 after 15 Test matches, and in the Test at Lords, he will be fighting for his spot in the squad.

Root who had scored two hundreds at this historical venue said that a hundred at Lord’s will give a lot of confidence in his career forward. “It was my first game back in the team. I almost had a point to prove not just to everyone else but to myself, and show that I can play at this level,” said Root, speaking at an event held by Test series sponsors Investec at Lord’s on Tuesday.

“If I’d have got two noughts, you don’t know how the rest of the summer would have unfolded. It gave me a lot of confidence. I look back at that and think it was a massive stepping stone, proving to myself that I can score big runs,” he added.

Also Read: I’ve just got to do it better: Nick Compton

The Yorkshireman shared his views about the Lords pitch and said that playing at home will calm some nerves for Compton. “Traditionally it’s a very good place to bat, it’s his home ground and he has a point to prove. It would be great to see him put in a match-winning performance, which he’s more than capable of doing.”

England is leading the series 2-0, with one match to go in the Test series against Sri Lanka and the final game at Lord’s starts on Thursday.