England may be forced to ‘take a punt’ on Eoin Morgan to discover if he is cut out for Test cricket, according to Middlesex managing director of cricket Angus Fraser.
Morgan has emerged as one of England's most dynamic limited-overs batsmen, drawing comparisons with Neil Fairbrother and Michael Bevan for his match-winning century in the second one-day international against Bangladesh in Dhaka.
But such is the left-hander's current diet of one-day and Twenty20 cricket that concerns have been raised that the 23-year-old may not have sufficient chance to fine-tune his skills in the longer form of the game.
Asked if Morgan should play more first-class cricket, Fraser told Press Association Sport: ‘Yes, but when's he going to do it?
‘That's not being flippant. The fixture list doesn't allow him to play a great deal of championship cricket.
‘He knows that and he wants to do it, but it's just a question of the workload and the sort of cricket he's playing.
‘I think you can safely say he's got the skill and ability to adapt to the longest form of the game.
‘It may come down to whether England will be prepared to take a punt on him. Maybe the Bangladesh (Test) series would have been a good time.’
Morgan, who was omitted from England's Test squad, went immediately from Bangladesh to join up with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, for whom he fetched $220,000 in this year's auction.
The Dubliner's startling impact in Twenty20, capped by a match-winning 67 not out for England against Pakistan in Dubai last month, means he should be a certainty for England's final 15-man squad for the World Twenty20 in May.
But if Morgan were to be considered for England's first Test against Bangladesh at Lord's later that month, he would likely not have a single LV= County Championship match to prepare.
‘I think the biggest thing for Eoin is to compartmentalise,’ said Fraser.
‘He's got a game in one-day cricket that works very well for him and he's confident with. He might have to make a few adjustments to be as effective in the longer format.
‘The skill is to able to change from one to the other without them affecting each other.’
Neither Fairbrother or Bevan, master finishers at the end of a one-day innings, were able to crack the longest form of the game, and they played in an era without the demands of Twenty20.
But Fraser added: ‘I think he'd be flattered to be compared to such good one-day cricketers, but I'd like to think that he's got more in his locker than that.
‘And again, maybe the judgements of Fairbrother and Bevan are a bit harsh. They found a niche, had a brief flirt with Test cricket but didn't catch it when they were there.’
Morgan was awarded an ECB incremental contract on the back of his exploits in Dhaka, which means England now decide when he can turn out for his county.
Before England's one-day series against Bangladesh in July, Fraser thinks Morgan's only chance play a championship match would be the fixtures with Leicestershire or Northamptonshire in late May or early June.
In contrast to his astonishing impact at international level, Morgan averaged just 24 in his 10 first-class matches for Middlesex last season.
Nevertheless, Fraser maintains his England success did not surprise anyone.
‘Anybody you speak to about Eoin would say he's shown those talents on numerous occasions for Middlesex,’ he added.
‘It wasn't just the shots he played but the way he calmly dealt with and managed the situation.
‘Most of it is down to Eoin and his natural gift, but also his desire to work exceedingly hard at his game. He went to Bangladesh in perfect form, ready to play the sort of cricket he's played.’
