English batsman Nick Compton was in danger of losing his place in the England team but the selectors decided to persist with him in the squad for the Sri Lanka series due to the shock retirement of James Taylor.
Compton, who has had an average start to the county season, was in the England squad that beat South Africa away last Christmas. Compton’s compatriot Steven Finn, has, however, backed Compton to seize his latest opportunity to cement a spot in the England XI when the team faces Sri Lanka next week.
“I think Compo as a guy is a lot more level than the last time he was in the England team and that is an excellent thing,” said Finn.
“Having been a teammate of his, I’ve not seen a difference or dip in him over the last few weeks even though there has been speculation. I think ultimately the right decision has been made.
“He batted at three in a successful tour against the No.1 Test team in the world in their own conditions and averaged 30 which I don’t think is a disgrace there.
“He played for the team a lot in that series, he set up the beginning of innings to allow the guys who bat 4, 5, 6, 7 to come in and play in the aggressive manner they did.
“Even though he has not made a stack of runs in the championship, when he has batted he has looked good and he’s been a bit unlucky a couple of times.”
Meanwhile, James Vince – who has been compared to former England captain Michael Vaughan – said his Test call-up had yet to sink in.
“Definitely, when I was growing up, playing for England in a Test was the number one. “I’ve had the experience of the T20s in Dubai against Pakistan, when it was a good feeling being able to contribute to the team.
“Being in the World T20 squad was a great experience as well although obviously I would have liked to have played more of a part.
“Since then I’ve turned my attention to Hampshire and trying to have a good start to the season. It’s only the last week when I started to notice stuff in the press. But to get the call, it took a while to sink in.”
The first match of the three-Test series will be played from May 19 at Headingley.