England assistant coach Paul Farbrace acknowledged the fact Nick Compton has had a "tough series" against Sri Lanka, as speculation swirled over the batsman's Test future following another failure at Lord's on Saturday.
Recalled to England's five-day team for the tour of South Africa in 2015-16, Compton now appears likely to be dropped for a second time, with his poor form at the start of the county season having continued into the international summer.
After making just 32 runs in four innings against Sri Lanka, Compton was unexpectedly pushed into duty as an opener on day three of the third Test, after skipper Alastair Cook suffered a knee injury in the field.
The under-pressure batsman started confidently, only to be caught behind off Shaminda Eranga for 19 as England reached 109-4 in their second innings for a lead of 237.
Compton's frustration was clear as he left the field and Farbrace was quoted by the Guardian as saying: "It's been a tough series for him. He knows that and that batsmen are in the team to score runs.
Farbrace added: "He has shown glimpses but glimpses aren't always enough.
"He looked good and then nicks one behind - you can see how disappointed he was when he walked off."
Scott Borthwick has been touted as a likely candidate to replace Compton should the latter lose his place for the upcoming home Tests against Pakistan.
Farbrace, meanwhile, was impressed by England's improved bowling display on Saturday, as they reduced Sri Lanka from 162-1 to 288 all out, Chris Woakes and Steven Finn finishing with three wickets apiece.
"We bowled much better this morning than we did yesterday [Friday]," said Farbrace.
"There was a big discussion about our approach and the consistency in terms of lines and lengths was exceptional."
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