Twenty20 thrills ten Doeschate

Ryan ten Doeschate knows he needs to be cleverer than anyone else

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Essex all-rounder Ryan ten Doeschate believes the Eagles have what it takes to reach the final of the Twenty20 Cup and a place in the inaugural Champions League competition.

The Holland international has played one-day cricket for his country but admits that the atmosphere during domestic Twenty20 games is what really drives the players.

“At the end of the day, that is the most enjoyable part of the job,” he told ecb.co.uk. “You play cricket not really for yourself, but to bring enjoyment to people.

“Twenty20 seems to be a lot of fun for people to come down and watch. The atmosphere is electrifying and you get a real buzz from being out there in front of a decent crowd.”

Essex are in the south group alongside previous winners Kent and Surrey, and Sussex and Hampshire - who are hosting finals day - seen by most to be the most competitive of the divisions.

“It is a very tough group and a lot of the teams are very similar in this group,” conceded ten Doeschate. “On any day any team can beat any other team.

“I think we can draw a lot of confidence from the fact that we qualified for the Friends Provident Trophy (semi-finals). There is no reason why we can’t do the same in this tough group.”

Ravi Bopara has already shown that it is possible to score big in short games, and Essex have several more players of a similar style to their England all-rounder, which ten Doeschate reckons should boost their chances of success.

Ravi Bopara scored 200 in a 50-over game, which gives his Essex team confidence © Getty Images

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“The shorter form of the game is probably more suited to the players we have on our staff,” he said. “We’d like to think we have a strong middle-order and we’ve got explosive batting up front.

“Out of the four competitions this one is probably our main one. We will definitely be going into it very confidently.”

Ten Doeschate has his own tips for how to be successful in the shortest and newest format of the sport, with his own role having changed throughout the years.

“You have basically got to try to be cleverer than the next guy,” he said. “That is always the way I have seen Twenty20.

“You can be innovative and you can do something new, and if you are ahead of everyone else then you have got a better chance of getting away with it.

“In the past, when we had stronger players around and more senior players my role was slightly different and I’d come in later on in the innings.

“But that’s going to change now and hopefully I will get even more time at the wicket and get even bigger scores.”

Essex’s first-class form has been patchy this season and ten Doeschate thinks that the Twenty20 Cup will give them much-needed respite from that pressure and allow them to play their natural games.

“It probably couldn’t have come at a better time for Essex as we haven’t been at our best in the championship,” he admitted.

“We are looking forward to a break, away from four-day cricket and into the excitement and attraction of the Twenty20 game.”