/ Ralph Ellis / 24 July 2008 /

It's Twenty20 finals day on Saturday at The Rose Bowl so this week Betfair caught up with Essex all-rounder Graham Napier, the man who hit the biggest domestic score in the competition, for an exclusive chat about what to expect.

Graham, can you start by talking us through that amazing 152 not out against Sussex?

Our coach Paul Grayson told me to go out and play my normal game and after scratching around for my first 50 runs I decided to open up and go for it. Twenty20 cricket is my speciality and my type of brute force batting and timing is tailor-made for that sort of crash, bang, whallop game. I just felt on fire and everything I tried came off. It was fantastic, really awesome. I middled one or two shots early on, got into a rhythm and things just got better and better.

Has it made a difference to how you've played the game since?

Expectations have changed from a crowd perspective. Now they expect fireworks every innings, but it's always tough to score quickly from the start. It's good to know that sides now look at me as a dangerous player who can turn a match around in a very short space of time.

Still six runs short of Brendan McCullum's Twenty20 record though - any plans to break that this weekend?

It would always be nice to go out and set fireworks off in the Twenty20 Cup Finals Day, and it will be great for me and Twenty20 cricket to repeat my previous performance. One hundred and fifty has only been scored twice in Twenty20 cricket so it's difficult to do, but there is always potential to do that.

You've had ten years playing first-class cricket with Essex now, is there a reason why things have started to click this season?

I was given the opportunity many years ago as a pinch hitter and some days it worked, some days it didn't. I eventually lost that role and concentrated on being a bowler, but I've always been able to bat in an aggressive fashion. This year I was given the pinch hitting opportunity again, with a few more years of experience and, hopefully, a slightly wiser head which I've been able to use to my advantage. It's not going to work everytime but at long last I've found some consistency.

Did going to New Zealand for the winter make a difference?

The whole winter in general was successful from my perspective - walking to Everest Base Camp and then going on to play club cricket in Wellington. Playing well in their club competition, the Pearce Cup, further boosted my confidence and then I was asked to play for their state side. I carried on my form for them with bat and ball and that raised my self-belief even further.

What do you feel you still need to improve to break through onto the England scene?

Consistency. Look at the players they pick - they are all consistent performers. England look for all-round players - not specialists. If you bat you have to field well too, if you bowl you have to be able to field and contribute something with the bat. For me it's a constant cycle of working on all three aspects as well as improving my fitness.

And is it too late to do it this year now?

My personal focus is Essex and performing well on Twenty20 Cup Finals Day, in Championship games and Pro40 games, and also in the Friends Provident Trophy Final. The way I see it is if I perform well in these competitions then I'll be putting myself in the shop window - that's as much as I can do.

Tell us your thoughts about Twenty20 finals day?

My main thought is on beating Kent first of all to put us in a position to win the trophy.

Everybody is banging on about the money involved this season. Will that really make a difference?

The prize money available to teams has increased the interest in the tournament, and if that money is earned through winning matches then it will be deserved as it proves their consistency. Let's hope whoever wins invests the money into the future of their club and the game.

Essex have never won it before. What are your strengths to change that this year?

When you look at our side we have a number of matchwinners with several players able to put in performances to win games for Essex. It only takes one player to perform well and we are one step ahead of the opposition. If two or three do well then we are looking at winning the game.

Who can be your star performers?

Essex play as a team and don't rely on any one individual.

Who do you see as the big dangers for Kent?

You can't ignore Joe Denly, Azhar Mahmood or Ryan McLaren, who are all key players, and not forgetting their captain Robert Key, who is a key to their success (lots of keys!).

Thanks, and we've a free £50 bet in aid of your favourite charity. What's the charity and what would you like to place the bet on?

When I did my walk to Everest the money I raised went to the PCA benevolent fund, so hopefully we can add a few more pounds to that. I'm from Colchester, so when the market gets formed in a week or so, please put the money behind Geraint Williams' boys to beat Huddersfield Town to win their opening league game at their new ground on August 16.

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