Compton well aware of axe above his head

England

England batsman Nick Compton knows he doesn't have much time left to prove his worth at number three, and that he will be dropped from the side if he doesn't get significant runs on the board.

Compton returned to the Test side not as opener but at first drop during the tour to South Africa earlier this year. While he did reasonably well, his place was in question for the current series against Sri Lanka.

Many pundits, including former skipper Michael Vaughan, said that Compton should not be in the team, and he did not help his case by recording a duck in his only innings in the first Test.

Compton said when asked if he was under fire: "I don't know the actual answer to that but you've got to score runs. I want to score runs but I want to do it because I want to feel good.

"I want to feel good about my batting and I want to feel good about contributing to the England team. Those are my driving motivations.

"If you don't play well enough you get dropped. That's fundamentally how it works. I want to get that good feeling I know is inside there about playing my best cricket.

"That's what I want to do: play my best cricket in this England team."

Compton has not recorded a half century in 13 innings, but is still confident he can turn things around in Durham: "It would have been nice to score some runs in the first Test.

"But there's been some quality preparation and that's where my focus is, so when I get my chance I'm really on it."

England latest-news

Latest