England vs Sri Lanka: Nick Compton’s latest failure was cruelly predictable

Compton had made just one when he edged a speculative drive off Suranga Lakmal to the wicket-keeper Dinesh Chandimal

Nick Compton’s last eight completed innings have yielded just 76 runs (Getty)

There was something cruelly predictable about Nick Compton’s latest failure, coming as it did on his home ground of Lord’s.

Compton had made just one when he edged a speculative drive off Suranga Lakmal to the wicket-keeper, Dinesh Chandimal. For a man who has played a lot of cricket at Lord’s, and knows the vicissitudes of the ground’s slope, it was a foolish shot, though when fear of failure becomes too great the mind tends not to discriminate.

Compton’s last eight completed innings have yielded just 76 runs and while there could be one more opportunity for him in the Last Chance Saloon, in the second innings here, speculation for England’s No 3 position was going into overdrive with a slew of combinations and contenders being thrust to the fore.

Three of the fresher faces to be suggested are Durham’s Scott Borthwick, Essex’s Tom Westley and Kent’s Daniel Bell-Drummond, though the No 3 could be filled by shuffling the batting order of those already in the team and picking someone else in a different position, like Jos Buttler to keep wicket.

Borthwick came to prominence as a leg-spinner who could get unorthodox runs at seven or eight. Indeed, he made an ill-fated Test debut in Australia’s whitewash-clinching Ashes Test at Sydney two and half years ago, since when he has re-invented himself as a top-order batsman who can roll his arm over whenever his captain feels brave.

He’s certainly been in fine form this season, scoring three hundreds in his last five first-class innings, with a top score of 188 not out against Nottinghamshire.

What will please the selectors is that he is making runs against first division bowling attacks, something not granted to Westley, Essex being in the second division. That apart, Westley has been in the form of his career, making hundreds in both red and white ball cricket.

Form can be powerfully persuasive to undecided minds but also counting against Westley will be his modest winter with England Lions. Although that was white ball cricket, such things get logged and inputted into an England database where they can be plucked to be used against players whenever the need arises.

Jonny Bairstow's century helped hosts to 279-6 on day one of third Test (Getty)

Fifteen years ago, one of the arguments against Westley would be that while he is red hot at working away anything bowled at the stumps, he is not so good at dealing with balls in the channel six inches outside off-stump.

John Crawley was similar and struggled badly in Tests against the likes of Glenn McGrath who would probe that line all day. Yet most of today’s bowlers don’t have that discipline or control and while Westley’s off-side play is much improved anyway, such technical shortcomings may never become exploited.

Bell-Drummond is also blossoming and has made 769 first-class runs for Kent this season. Yet, while he has already been name-checked, among many others, by Trevor Bayliss, England’s coach, he probably plays a few too many shots for a team almost certainly on the look out for a blocker.

Sam Robson is another playing well while Durham’s Mark Stoneman has long been fancied to make the step-up. Many, though, fancy a return for Jos Buttler, not to three but to take up the wicket-keeping gloves once more and a counter-attacking role at number eight.

That route would mean Jonny Bairstow, thrillingly in the runs against with his second hundred of the series, moving up to five and becoming an outfielder, a role he is more than qualified to fulfil. James Vince would then shift up to three though the flaw in that plan is Vince’s poor form at present - batting at three being potentially trickier than at five.

Whatever happens, the selectors could and should have blooded someone in place of Compton for this series, to give them time to adjust against a team of modest means.

Pakistan’s batsmen may struggle as Sri Lanka’s have in English conditions, but their bowlers will offer a whole different level of challenge. Bringing in someone new for that is a risk which, with a bit of bottle and foresight, didn’t need to be.