AN unlikely hero at Twenty20 finals day in 2010, Danny Briggs has since become known as a short-form specialist.

But ECB performance director David Parsons is determined to turn him into a test-match spinner.

Briggs claimed 3-29 in a semi-final win against Essex, as Hampshire marched to their maiden title in the game’s shortest form three years ago – a trophy they regained in 2012.

He has since gone on to win six T20 international caps and a solitary ODI appearance, but Parsons is keen to ensure Newport-born Briggs is in the best possible position to win test caps as well.

The left-arm spinner has 50 first-class matches under his belt at an average of a shade under 33 and Parsons is convinced the right regime can bring that down significantly.

And with England seeking a natural successor to front-line spinner Graeme Swann, Briggs is looking to utilise this winter and put himself in the frame.

“He’s very skilled and able to compete well under pressure, particularly in T20 cricket,” said Parsons. “Similarly he has had some success in one-day stuff as well and a little less success in the four-day game.

“So his priority in the early part of the winter will be to really focus on his skills in the longer form.

“He’s still very young as a spinner so this chance to focus on the red-ball game is hopefully to bring that part of his game up to a level with the shorter formats.

“For Danny it will be about consistency, about making sure you challenge both edges of the bat, it’s about being patient.

“Playing the patient game rather than having to mix it up and respond to the batsmen that are coming at you.

“How do you get batsmen out that are not coming at you? That’s the challenge for the longer form of the game.”

Briggs is part of a 16-man England Performance Programme squad and among the 13 that has followed the Ashes touring party to Australia this month. The much-vaunted programme has seen recent graduates Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow go on to establish themselves in the senior set-up with Gary Ballance hot on their heels.

Briggs was joined in the squad by fellow left-arm spinner Simon Kerrigan, but with the Lancashire man staying in England over the winter Briggs can shine individually.

Parsons, who has been in charge of England’s Performance Programme squad since 2007, is excited to get the group out to Australia and put them through their paces.

“This is about preparing them for England,” he added. “There are certain things that aspiring young cricketers who have not got 70 Tests to their name have to do to earn the right to behave like international cricketers.

“So we work them very hard, we look to challenge them wherever we possibly can. One of the mantras we use is taking them to the edge of their capabilities. “To really put their skills and put them under pressure and see how they will react because that’s where the best improvement comes from. “We look to invest in players over a three to four year period, people like Jos (Buttler) and Danny that have been on the programme for a while. “These guys are soon going to have to play in these environments so it’s a massive benefit to have them there, in challenging conditions.”

Follow the England Performance Programme squad and their progress this winter at www.ecb.co.uk/epp