A move to Somerset in 2010 saw Compton establish himself as a consistent scorer in a strong top order and following a prolific domestic season he made his England Test debut against India in November 2012.

[3][4] On 23 June 2016, Compton announced that he would be taking an extended break from the game, following his disappointing performances in the Test series against Sri Lanka.

Compton moved to England while in his teens and attended Harrow School on a sports scholarship scheme where he was mentored by housemaster David Elleray.

[8] Compton impressed with a hatful of centuries for the school playing as captain and was prolific during the 2000 season for Middlesex's Under-19 side.

[17] The following winter, he was selected for the England Under-19s squad to take part in the ICC Under-19 World Cup in January and February 2002.

[20] He had to wait until August for his next first-team appearance where he played four further Norwich Union League, impressing in reaching his maiden one day half-century with an 86 not out against Lancashire.

[17] Compton did not play at all for the Middlesex first team during the 2003 season due to injury and made his first-class debut against Cambridge University Centre of Cricketing Excellence in May 2004,[22] Compton played a further three matches in the County Championship that season, in addition to ten one day matches and his Twenty20 debut.

He established himself in 2006, with a string of strong scores, including six centuries, and was award a county cap by the Middlesex in that season.

Although his one-day form improved with his first List A century in the 2007 Friends Provident Trophy against Sussex in June 2007, scoring 110 not out.

[8] Having left Middlesex because he wanted a fresh challenge, Compton subsequently signed for Somerset on a multi-year contract,[8] where he was expected to bat in the top three.

[32] Compton's first-class form continued with him scoring 1,098 runs at an average of 57.78 and being awarded his county cap for Somerset.

[33] With the earliest-ever start to a first-class cricket season, Compton took advantage by scoring 236 against Cardiff MCCU on 1/2 April 2012.

[42] Compton was the only English batsman to score 1,000 runs in the County Championship and won the PCA Player of the Year award for the first time.

[7] Following the retirement of Andrew Strauss and the exclusion of Kevin Pietersen, Compton's weight of runs was enough to earn him a first call-up to the England Test squad for the tour to India in winter 2012–13.

[66] Compton was rewarded for his form as the ECB arranged for him to play as a guest for Worcestershire in their tour match against Australia as a further audition for his Ashes spot.

[68] In the first test in his home town of Durban, Compton, batting at number 3 in the order, scored 85 runs from 236 balls in the first innings, and shared a century stand with James Taylor to help England recover from 49–3 to 303 all out.

[69] Compton fell just short of another half-century in the second innings, being caught behind by AB de Villiers from a Morné Morkel delivery on 49.

Many were suggesting that this would be his last chance for England, but he scored a first innings duck, after being caught behind of the bowling of debutant Dasun Shanaka.

After England recorded an emphatic victory in the first match, they named an unchanged side for the second and Compton kept his place for the second Test.

Having not featured in a single match of the 2018 season for Middlesex, Compton announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in October 2018.