Nick Compton believes he has been treated unfairly by England and not given a "fair crack of the whip" after losing his Test place within touching distance of realising his dream of playing in an Ashes series.
Compton made 79 on Wednesday guesting for Worcestershire in front of England selector James Whitaker, his second decent score againstAustralia in a week since being dropped by the Test team. He made 81 and 34 against them last month.
Compton, who has nine Test caps, was left out by England for the warm-up match against Essex with Geoff Miller, the national selector, saying Joe Root is the best man to open with Alastair Cook.
Compton was hurt by the decision which he feels was the result of one poor performance at Headingley where he batted tentatively in the second innings.
"I don't feel that I had a fair crack of the whip," he said. "I feel like I did enough in New Zealand with two back-to-back hundreds.
"I had an OK Test at lord's in context of the game and what Cooky and I did. Then Headingley was a poor Test match and that was it. It was a bit of a shock to hear the news.
"After Headingley Andy Flower said go away and score runs. I have done that. How many runs is scoring runsIJ They said I have missed out on the Essex game and go away and prove us wrong. I feel I have done enough.
"I feel I am ready. I just had one bad Test match. People doubted me when I got picked for England, people doubted me in India, they doubted me when I got nought in New Zealand and then I scored two hundreds but they even doubted me after that series.
"It's been disappointing of late but I'll keep fighting on because I regard myself as a fighter. I've had to do that time and time again.
"By my own admission I wasn't in a great place at Headingley. It was a poor Test match, no doubt about it, but 1½ Test matches doesn't really constitute a series or a career.
"There's a lot of players early in a season whose feet go missing. I didn't look too much into it. I think the form I've shown since then should be enough to show I'm hungry and I'm keen to get into that team if required."
Compton's loss of form was timed with the rise of Root and Jonny Bairstow also making runs against New Zealand with the backing of the Yorkshire faithful at Headingley. Compton played a bad shot in the first innings and agonised for 45 balls for seven runs in the second. "I have read so many things including wanting it too much and I have read a lot with a smile on my face," he said.
"From my point of view I wasn't in a great place going into that Test - I felt out of form. People who are close to me know that the first innings dismissal was not the way I play. That was a poor shot. I got a bit stuck in the second innings and I have watched as the storm has unfolded.
"Perhaps I should have had more of a crack and gone down fighting. In the context of the game did it matterIJ There were a lot of things that added up. I feel in a much better place now. I've been pretty consistent for the last three years now."
Compton admits he does not expect to be selected on Saturday when England announce the squad for the first Test at Trent Bridge but is “proud” of the way he has performed in two matches against Australia.
"I feel like it was a very good response. Time and time again I get asked to make responses and I feel like I do that every single time. I'm certainly not going to lose hope of playing in an Ashes series. It's a dream of mine and something I've worked very hard to achieve."