T20 facelift will help deliver next Test stars, insists Eoin Morgan

"Warner has done well in Test cricket, and it's been about the selectors identifying the skill level of these players and giving them a chance in the longest form of the game. Unlike in Twenty20, where you a batsman needs to have two or three options in mind when facing every ball, there is less chaos in Test cricket.”

One of Morgan’s principal goals for the summer is to force his way back into the England Test reckoning. Indeed, such was his desire to claim a place in Alastair Cook’s new-look side that he decided not to play in this year’s Indian Premier League, the most lucrative T20 franchise competition in the world.

He remains, however, a huge advocate of the shorter forms of the game. For most of the last five years, Morgan has been a crucial player for England in both 50-over and T20 cricket and, in Stuart Broad’s absence, he will captain England against Sri Lanka in the single T20 match between the sides, at The Kia Oval on Tuesday.

Morgan’s elevation to permanent Middlesex skipper in the shorter forms reflects the esteem in which his leadership skills are held. He continued: “Captaincy has given me a great chance to take the reins and lead from the front. We have a lot of young guys but they have all played a lot of cricket so there is high expectation on the club.

“We have a lot of talent and we have all bases covered so it’s important to go out there and play with freedom. That’s what I will be encouraging all the players to do because that is what T20 is about, combining that freedom of expression with responsibility.

“This form of the game can provide a huge boost to cricket in this country. The skill level is very high and it’s about attracting a new range of viewers and a new range of cricketers.

“It’s not so long ago that England won the World Twenty20 (in 2010). And the skill level of our young players here at Middlesex is brilliant, but now it’s about match awareness and gaining experience.”

Surrey off-spinner Gareth Batty spoke in these pages this week of the importance of ensuring England players took part in the competition this summer, and Morgan, 27, concurs.

The new format of the T20 Blast, which will take place weekly rather than in a single block in the middle of the summer, should mean that centrally-contracted players are available to represent their counties more regularly.

Morgan has played in both the IPL and the Australian Big Bash, and he believes the T20 Blast can make important strides by learning from those events.

He added: “It’s important to get England players involved in the competition whenever and wherever possible.

“The priority in England is first-class cricket and Test cricket and then T20 has to fit around that. Trying to figure out those logistics is difficult.

“You look at other countries, though, and see the success of the IPL and the Big Bash and you think that it’s something we can aspire to in this country.”

PLUG: Tickets for Middlesex’s T20 Blast double-header are priced at £30 for adults and £5 for children and are available on the day.