Jos Buttler sees Twenty20 eclipsing Tests as dominant format in future

England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler has said he expects Twenty20 to surpass Test cricket as the most dominant format of the game in the future.

Buttler, who has captained England's T20 side in the last two games in the absence of the injured Eoin Morgan, said the shortest format is "going from strength to strength" and warned that it could eventually establish a "monopoly" over the sport.

The remarks came as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the world's richest cricket board, revealed that its Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament accounted for the majority of its annual profits.

England's Ben Stokes was sold for £1.4m ($2m) in the IPL auction last month, while compatriots Chris Woakes and Buttler fetched prices of £820,000 and £485,000 respectively.

"I feel cricket could become a one-format game in the future – whether that's soon or in 15 to 20 years," Buttler told Sky Sports.

"Test cricket is still, for me, the pinnacle of cricket but T20 fills out stadiums and is easy to keep up with and follow. Everyone wants things faster these days and things evolve so maybe Twenty20 could have a monopoly on cricket.

"We all love the history of Test cricket – you will never have situations thrown up in T20 that Test cricket can do to you and you will never be tested as a player as you would in Test cricket.

"It's a complete test of everything and it would be sad [if it disappeared], but as a product T20 is going from strength to strength."

Buttler pointed out that no other format in the sport rewarded players financially as much as T20s.

"Hopefully the administrators can find a way of making the Test game more popular – it's awesome and I'd love to be playing in it," he said.

"I thought if I'm serious about playing red-ball cricket I could give up the white-ball stuff for two years and spend winters playing red ball, but I feel like there are too many opportunities to go down that route."

Buttler's England lost by 12 runs against New Zealand in Wellington on 13 February.