TWENTY20 is still receiving a kicking for being a mindless slog-fest from some. “MTV cricket” it was dubbed in these pages this week. But aspiring young cricketers may take note of the words of Peter Moores, the Sussex director of cricket, who will take over as director of the National Academy at the end of the summer. “I’ve been a big fan from the start, it magnifies the skills,” Moores said, “there is no hiding place, no second chance in Twenty20. ”

Moores was talking not only about the ability to strike or bowl the ball, but also the decision-making process. You have to work out fast what a good score on each pitch is and adjust your game. And you have to do that in front of big, boisterous crowds that are the closest most county players come to the pressure of international cricket.

How many games of Twenty20 have the critics watched and how much do they know about cricket? Because it is no surprise that the best cricketers, certainly the best one-day cricketers, have turned out to be the best Twenty20 cricketers. It is not rounders or baseball.

“Your best players are still your best players because it’s still cricket,” Mike Watkinson, the Lancashire manager, said. “For bowlers it’s about putting the ball where you want it and the most successful batsmen are playing proper cricket shots.

“If you have a net practice you’re not trying to hit the ball to all parts. In the first year people thought it was a crash-bang-wallop competition and some teams were bowled out in 15 and 16 overs.

“Sides have realised there’s a bit more cricket in 20 overs. Scores are creeping up and that comes from strategy, rather than just smashing it. You have to react quickly. You might set out with 200 in your head, but find it’s difficult and have to aim for 150 as a good score because if you go for 200 you might not even get to par.”

Slogging was what John Emburey, the coach of Middlesex, was so worried about in 2002, when told of the impending introduction of the new short form. He said he would not let his young players near it and would draft in club cricketers. Emburey is now a convert.

Andrew Strauss, the Middlesex and England opener, credits Twenty20 with improving his batting. His step to off and flick over fine leg in the 50-over game are an example of his innovation.

Expect some of the unorthodox from Mal Loye, Lancashire’s opener and one of the most successful batsmen in the competition today. But his dangerous sweep off the seamers was not a Twenty20 innovation, it was something he had developed already for one-day cricket.

There is not a “Twenty20 length” for bowlers. “If you’ve got a new white ball and you back yourself, pitch it up and swing it and they’ll play and miss twice an over,” Watkinson said.

“Spinners have been successful because you’ve got to put all the power in yourself as a batsman. There may be as many boundaries and perhaps more sixes but it is easier to stop ones and twos than for seamers, because the ’keeper is up and spinners don’t have much follow-through.”

You can also be too clever by chopping and changing the bowling.

“But you have to 100 per cent flexible,” Watkinson added. “If someone’s been hit for 20, maybe it’s time for a change. If you were going to change the bowling and they go for five, it might be a good idea to give them another one. For batting you might have three or four guys padded up and not make a decision about who goes in until a wicket falls.”

If anything, perhaps, Twenty20 is gradually pushing the boundaries in 45 and 50-over cricket. “It’s opening people’s eyes,” Watkinson said. “If you’re chasing eight an over for the last ten or 15 overs, it’s now considered much more possible. There’s the fear of being bowled out, but why are teams not 180 after 20 in the totesport (League) and then bat out the rest of the overs for a record?”

There seem to be less theories among the coaches this season about batting first or second. “The theory is there is no theory,” James Whitaker, the coach of Leicestershire, the champions, said. “If I knew the secret why we have been to three (Twenty20) finals days, then I’d be on a beach somewhere. A lot of the games are 50-50, the toss is important and it’s come down our way more often. You need a hell of a lot fortune.”

PLAYING IT SAFE

There will be increased security at the Oval today, reflecting the heightened awareness in the capital. Gates will open at 9.30am and Surrey are advising people to arrive in good time for the 11.30am start. As at the one-day internationals there will be full bag, personal and vehicle inspections. No glass bottles will be allowed into the ground. Surrey are advising the use of public transport (Oval, Kennington and Vauxhall stations are open) as there will be no public parking available on or near the ground.