Andrew Gale wants to return to the top of the order in Yorkshire’s NatWest T20 Blast team this summer.

The Yorkshire captain is keen to forge an explosive opening partnership with Australian overseas star Aaron Finch having made way for Kane Williamson during the latter stages of last season’s event.

With the New Zealander not available for the 2015 competition, Gale has made Jason Gillespie and Martyn Moxon aware of his desire to help the Vikings maximise the first six overs of powerplay.

The White Rose skipper had a forgettable Twenty20 season last year, scoring just 135 runs in ten matches with a top score of 55 and seven single figure scores.

He was left out of their win at Durham in July - when Jonny Bairstow scored a hundred - but returned at number five in the order two days later against Derbyshire at Chesterfield.

He scored a useful 34 off 20 balls in another win and remained at five in the final two group matches.

Since moving to open in Twenty20 cricket in 2007, Gale has arguably been Yorkshire’s most consistent batsman in that format.

Unfortunately, however, his form has slipped during the last three seasons, and he has only scored two fifties in 24 innings since the start of 2012.

Gale has adapted a couple things in his set-up at the crease during this winter’s training programme and he hopes they will benefit him: “I have spoken to Martyn and Jason and made them aware that I want to open the batting in Twenty20 cricket,” he said.

“That’s where I’ve had most of my success during my career in Twenty20, and I feel like that’s where I’m most suited to bat.

“Twenty20 didn’t go as well as I wanted last year. I adapted my game for Championship cricket, which sort of had an effect on my Twenty20 game.

“I’ve done a lot of one-day and Twenty20 practice over the last six weeks or so, and I feel like I’ve had to strip my game back a bit this winter to adapt a few things.

“Opening the batting in one-day and Twenty20 cricket is what I’ve done for the majority of my career, although it’s a bit different in one-day cricket now because you don’t quite need to be as explosive at the top of the order with it being 50 overs.

“We went down the route last year of having the two lads up there who were settled, proper openers if you like in Lyth and Lees. Maybe in 50-over cricket I’ll bat in the middle order and Twenty20 up top.”

The first opportunity Gale will get out in the middle to demonstrate the improvements in his 20-over game will come on Yorkshire’s current pre-season tour of the UAE.

The Vikings are taking part in the Finals Day style Emirates Airline T20 event in Dubai on Friday when they face Lancashire in the semi-finals before a potential final against either Sussex or the MCC, who have included Yuvraj Singh in their squad.