Middlesex have announced the signing of Nick Compton on a three-year deal after the batsman left Somerset at the end of the season.
Compton, who played for Middlesex before moving to Taunton in 2009, has rejoined until at least the end of the 2017 after securing an early release from Somerset following five years at the club.
The prolific 31-year-old played nine Tests for England in 2012-13, scoring two centuries against New Zealand and also featuring in the historic series win in India.
Angus Fraser, managing director of cricket at Middlesex, said: “We are delighted to welcome Nick back to Middlesex. Players of Nick’s ability do not become available very often and when we were made aware of his desire to move back to London we immediately moved.
“With Chris Rogers hopefully playing for Australia next summer we needed to find a high quality top order batsman and in Nick we have secured the services of one.
“I was in charge at Middlesex when Nick left at the end of the 2009 season and, even though I could at the time totally understand his reasons for moving to Taunton, I was disappointed when he left. The move proved to be a good one for Nick - at Somerset he became an international cricketer.”
Compton said he felt like he was moving home: “As a boy I left my family home to move to London to play for Middlesex. Because of this, playing for the club at Lord’s has and always will be close to my heart.
“Leaving Lord’s to play for Somerset was, at the time, a step in my development I felt I needed to make. The time I spent at Taunton was great for me. Whilst at Somerset I grew as a player and a person. I also fulfilled the dream of representing England, which is something I am determined to do again.”
The news that this man is coming home has gone down rather well. Can't wait to see @thecompdog back in the 3 Seaxes pic.twitter.com/2agCj4XnGT
— Middlesex Cricket (@Middlesex_CCC) December 12, 2014