Compton was vulnerable after a slow start to the county season but the England selectors met at Lord’s on Wednesday and decided to make just one change to the team with James Vince coming in for the retired James Taylor. Jake Ball, of Nottinghamshire, is the backup fast bowler in the squad of 12.
Returning to Leeds will give Compton the chance to bury one of his lowest moments in Test cricket. It was against Sri Lanka in Leeds in May 2013 that he ground out seven runs off 45 balls and was dropped by England for the subsequent Ashes series.
He complained of a rib injury during that Test but appeared to have fallen foul of the then England regime and did not play Test cricket for almost two years until his return against South Africa last winter.His returns in South Africa were mixed but he played a crucial role in the first Test victory in Durban, and even though he has struggled for runs this summer for Middlesex, no other standout candidates emerged to put pressure on his place.
Compton has managed only 100 runs in six innings and would have known at 32 that if he had been left out of the squad it would have spelt the end of his career. Now he should feel emboldened by the show of faith from the selectors and seize his chance to cement his place in the side against a Sri Lankan attack that took just four wickets in 100 overs against Essex this week.
ENGLAND SQUAD (First Test v Sri Lanka, Headingley, May 19-23): *A?N Cook, A?D Hales, N?R?D Compton, J?E Root, J?M Vince, B?A Stokes, J?M Bairstow, M?M Ali, S?C?J Broad, S?T Finn, J?M Anderson, J?T Ball.
(The Telegraph)
EmoticonEmoticon