THE consistency the second-team have shown, I believe, has been one of the real highlights for the club so far this year.

They won the one-day competition earlier in the summer, are well placed in the Championship and have reached Thursday’s T20 Finals Day at Arundel.

I’ve played a few games in the T20s of late, and the lads are playing really smart and intelligent cricket. I don’t see why they can’t go on and win it.

The quality of cricket they’re producing shows the future is definitely bright for Yorkshire Cricket.

They’ve added consistency, which maybe was lacking last year and the year before, and that investment in them is paying off.

They have lots of players coming through producing performances, which you need to push on. I have no doubts that there will be some good cricketers to come out of that group in the near future.

Playing for the seconds in the T20s has helped me get back to feeling pretty positive about my own game.

I’ve had some good time at the crease with them and for Lightcliffe in the Bradford League, so I’m quite optimistic with where I’m at.

Fingers crossed, if selected against Essex in the Championship tomorrow, I can put in a good performance and then help push on for a couple of wins.

If we beat Essex, the title’s very much back on and we can win it. If we lose or even draw, it looks a tough, tough road. Looking to win this game is the only mentality we have.

If you get on a roll and win four out of five, you probably win the title. Even three out of five gives you a chance. It’s all to play for. We’re very optimistic even though it hasn’t gone as well as we’d like.

We still have the players and the squad.

We haven’t performed as well throughout the year, but why not show everybody in these last five games the old form we’ve shown in the last two or three years?

With Alastair Cook and Tom Westley in the England set-up, that’s a couple of big blows for Essex. They don’t look as strong as they have been at the start of the season.

Mind you, they have Mohammad Amir, who is one of the best fast bowlers in the world at the minute. He bowls high 80s to 90 miles per hour and swings it both ways. He has unbelievable skills.

If we play him well, that will negate their biggest threat. He’s only going to get better and better.

I don’t think there’s a better time to put a performance in from our point of view, particularly when you’re playing against the best bowlers.

It’s going to be the young and the old in terms of swing bowlers on show.

Ryan Sidebottom has mastered his craft, and Amir is still learning and improving. For the spectators, it’s going to be very interesting to watch. There will be two good teams on show.

Shaun Marsh was expected to make his four-day debut as our overseas, but will miss out after being hit on the head by a bouncer against Derbyshire on Thursday night.

I haven’t played too much with him over the last few weeks in the T20 Blast, but I’ve seen enough to know he is a laid back and chilled out character.

He’s very assured on his game and how he goes about it, and I think he will bring an air of calmness that we perhaps haven’t had as a batting group in the Championship this season.

He’s a world-class player who has been consistent in all forms throughout his career. Let’s hope he can continue that kind of thing this game and for the next couple of months.