Tom Moores has vowed to exercise a measure of control when batting in the Specsavers County Championship – but insists he will still play his natural game.

The Nottinghamshire wicket-keeper batsman is set to take over the gloves from Chris Read following the long-serving captain’s retirement at the end of the 2017 season.

Moores carved out a reputation as a hard-hitting batsman in last year’s T20 Blast (now Vitality Blast), but is aware of his added responsibilities with the bat in four-day matches.

“I still want to play an attacking brand of cricket but in a way that I can make sure I make handy contributions.”

The 21-year-old knows he will need to be more circumspect than in white ball competitions, but not at the expense of his inclination to keep the scoreboard ticking.

“I still want to play an attacking brand of cricket but in a way that I can make sure I make handy contributions in the middle order,” he said.

“For me it’s a tempo thing, rather than a technical thing, in red ball cricket, and if it is there to whack then I will still do that.

“But there is a change of mindset and respect for the type of cricket you are playing. I’d compare it to like driving. When you are playing red ball cricket you are in a lower gear, ticking along nicely.

“In T20, that’s when you move it up through the gears and the pace of your innings is higher.

“I’ll be trying to keep the basics pretty simple. You might try to hit the ball in less areas, but I’ll always try to hit the ball hard. I’ve always been an attacking player, but you have to choose the right times to attack.”

Moores has so far played seven first-class matches, last playing in the Specsavers County Championship match in September, and has a high score of 41.

“Overall, being consistent is what everyone is striving to be.”

While he’s clearly keen to improve on that, the Brighton-born player is setting no target in terms of runs scored, nor catches and stumpings taken.

He added: “With the bat, you are looking to bat an amount of time and bat the day, or most of it, rather than score a 40, 50 or 60 off not many balls.”

“Overall, being consistent is what everyone is striving to be. I want to make my mark on the game and just want to try to win games in Division One – I’m not really thinking about any targets.

“If I care of that, then runs, catches and stumpings will follow.”

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Vitality Blast tickets go on general sale tomorrow (Thursday 1 March). Tickets will be available at trentbridge.co.uk.