Nick Compton accepts Ben Stokes' role is more appealing than his for England amid injury
IT IS ironic that England's developing brand of Test-match batting, the free-scoring, blink-and-you-miss-it approach designed to empty bars, makes Nick Compton more rather than less important to the side.
As he conceded on Wednesday, he might not be the most exciting to watch - certainly not like Ben Stokes - but if there ever was a team which needs a bit of glue it is one sprinkled with glitter.
"We're in the entertainment business and it's about getting bums on seats," said Compton as he prepared for the second Investec Test at Durham starting on Friday. "Watching Ben Stokes' 200 is better than watching Compton's 80. If I was sitting on the couch I'd rather watch Stokes' 200 as well.
"But my role is to get myself in and try to shield some of those players from the new ball, and then, if I get in, make sure I cash in and get a big score."
No one is doubting Compton's professionalism but plenty, including himself, have doubted his contribution since his Test recall in South Africa.
"I do see it as a compliment but the word 'intense' needs to be used correctly," he said. "I have a professional intensity but away from cricket I'm not intense - I play golf, I've got good mates, I go out for dinner, I do normal things.
"Look, if I sat on a couch and wanted to watch someone bat, I would rather watch Brian Lara, or my late grandfather, or Ben Stokes. It would be nice if I was like that but I'm not.
"I feel like I have made the best of what I've been given and I feel that the job I have done consistently for a number of years, there is a natural intensity to it.
"That is something I have to create in myself, and when I get that real fight and that real connection to the moment, I feel I am at my best."
* Investec is the title sponsor of Test match cricket in England. For more on Investec and private banking visit investec.co.uk/banking