90: Denis Compton

78 matches. 5807 runs @ 50.06. 17 hundreds. Highest score: 278

15 years. 5x excellent. 2x outstanding.

The discussion

Denis Compton is one of only six players in the Hall of Fame to span the pre-war (prior to 1939) and post-war (after 1945) eras.

Not only was he a great cricketer, but according to the infallible bastion of research and knowledge (Wikipedia), Denis Compton was also a left winger for Arsenal[1],[2], making 54 appearances with 15 goals for the London club, including winning the League title in 1948 and the FA Cup in 1950. Some have said that Compton was good enough to have played football for England. Indeed, he did represent England on several occasions, all during wartime. Sadly, these appearances aren’t recognised as official matches. Compton was part of the Division One winning side of 1937/38, the League title in 1948, and the FA Cup in 1950, all with Arsenal.

As it was, cricket become his game.

A promising Test career began at the tender age of 19 with 65 on debut against New Zealand, followed by two Test centuries against Australia and then the West Indies. His debut hundred, at just 20 years of age, remains the record for the youngest player to score a century for England. Then, when Compton was only 21, the Second World War (1939–46) intervened. It goes without saying that WWII took much more from millions of people, and I don’t wish to disrespect the hardship and sacrifice of millions of lost lives by comparing their sacrifice and hardship with some time lost batting, but from a purely cricketing perspective, those six years robbed Compton of a good portion of his prime. He was posted to the artillery and then to India, where he helped prepare soldiers for the front. During his stay in India, he still managed to play enough cricket to compile another 17 first-class centuries.

Compton did his best to make up for lost time in the post-war era. In 1947, he amassed 3,816 runs with 18 centuries in the English summer. That is not a misprint. Three thousand, eight hundred and sixteen runs in a summer. Unfortunately, he developed a knee injury that started to affect his cricket. Later, in 1955, it became so severe that surgeons removed his kneecap altogether. Despite these disruptions, Denis Compton still piled on the runs, including 753 of them against South Africa in 1947, with four centuries in five games — a feat only one player has bettered in a Test series.

Source: ESPN CricInfo

To highlight the longevity of Compton’s career, a full seven years later, Compton again averaged 90+ in a series, this time against Pakistan, with a total of 453 runs and including his highest Test score of 278.

The verdict

Denis Compton is often compared with the great Len Hutton. Contrast would be a better word, because their games could not have been more different. Hutton was a more serious character, Compton the charming and charismatic foil. Not only was he a great batter, but Compton’s cavalier attitude to his cricket and charming personality also carried the game (along with Hutton) in an era where cricket, and English fans, needed something to look to for inspiration and affection after the war.

Given that he missed six years of his prime, 5,807 runs and 17 Test centuries is a most impressive record. But what is most impressive for me is the average of over 50 (50.06 — 35th among qualified players) and rate of centuries per 100 innings (43rd), as well as his ability to juggle first-class and international cricket with top-flight football.

I often wonder what the legacies of some of the greats of Compton’s era might have been without the intervention of the war. I guess we will never know. Still, 3,816 runs in a summer. What a record.

In one word

Prolific

Notes

[1] A fact sure to delight our editor and prompt a subtle question whether Compton might deserve a higher ranking in this list based on his association with the most illustrious of football clubs (in his eyes, at least).

[2] Fun fact, I have never supported a premiership club. Applications can be sent to @toporderpod on Twitter with 280 characters or less on why I should adopt your football team.

Bio

Record

Source: ESPN CricInfo

career peak

Sources: ESPN CricInfo