PTI

London, Dec 19: ICC President David Morgan feels the enthralling cricket dished out by India and England in the ongoing Test series has proved that the five-day version remains the pinnacle of the sport and twenty20 can never be a threat to its existence.

"I don't think it threatens the longer form of the game and you will have seen that from the game in Chennai, which went to five days and was a great Test match. Test match cricket is still the biggest challenge for cricketers," Morgan, who was honoured with an Order of the British Empire here, was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"The Perth Test between Australia and South Africa has also produced some great cricket and the last 10 days have been a real reminder that Test cricket is the pinnacle of our sport with its unique ability to produce twists and turns and sustained drama," he added.

Morgan also lauded the Englishmen for returning to India after the ghastly terror strikes in Mumbai.

"I believed firmly that if the security advisers judged it was safe and secure for the England team to return then the England team had a duty to return, and the captain, Kevin Pietersen, and the management team saw it as a duty and they fulfilled it," he said.

"It's a great credit to the cricketers and their support team that they went back to India and they're there now it's very important that terrorism is not seen to be winning," he added.

Morgan received his OBE from Prince Charles at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London and was accompanied by his wife Ann, son Jonathan and daughter-in-law Sian.

Reflecting on the honour, Morgan said: "It was a great privilege to be at Buckingham Palace and to receive the Order of the British Empire."

Morgan said he was happy to see all three forms of the game - Test, ODI and Twenty20 - exist in harmony.

"The game has probably never been stronger than it is right now with three viable and vibrant forms at international level, including the positive effect of Twenty20, and I am fortunate to be involved in cricket at such an exciting time," he said.

Morgan's OBE follows more than 30 years as a cricket administrator, first with Glamorgan then with the Test and County Cricket Board, later renamed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Morgan was ECB deputy chairman for six years from 1997 and took over as chairman in 2003, becoming an ICC Director. He assumed the ICC Presidency in July 2008 and his term runs for two years, until mid-2010, when vice-president Sharad Pawar will take over.