NICK Compton says he must grab his England chance by the scruff of the neck ahead of the Lions’ clash with Australia next week.

The Somerset No3 has been in fine form this season, earning widespread praise and pushing himself high up the pecking order for club and country, with some even tipping him for a Test call-up.

However the 29-year-old, who featured for the Lions against West Indies earlier in the summer, knows he needs to shine against the foes from down under in the first of two four-day matches on Tuesday (August 7). 

“It's nice to get the call-up again because I've shown a lot of consistency in four-day cricket," Compton told the County Gazette.

“Now it’s a case of trying to kick on and make the most of the opportunity coming up and it’s something I need to grab with both hands.”

The South African-born star narrowly missed out on becoming the first player since 1998 to reach 1,000 first-class runs before the end of May after being thwarted by rain – falling just 50 short.

But Compton’s form has showed little sign of letting up – despite him being left out of last week’s Twenty20 quarter-final with Essex – and he scored a solid 53 to steer the Cidermen to CB40 victory over the Welsh Dragons at the County Ground on Saturday.

He added: “I felt I did okay in the Twenty20 competition but it’s important that you switch on again when the four-day matches come around again.

“I think if you get 50 in any game you’ve got to be happy. I played it perfectly up until the point at which I played a very irresponsible and weak shot and got out. I’ve probably not been as angry as I was in that situation in a long time.”