ESSEX bowler Matt Salisbury is hoping to use this season’s T20 Blast as a stepping stone as he bids to cement his place in the starting line-up.

The 22-year-old burst onto the scene last year with Essex Eagles, and was the second-highest wicket taker in the format after Ravi Bopara, claiming 10 victims from only eight innings at an economy rate of 8.93 an over.

And he is now hoping to build on that, although there is fierce competition for places, which has increased with the signing of Australian seamer Shaun Tait.

But he says he has confidence in his ability to break into the team and make an impact.

“I am excited about it,” he said. “There are so many big players that didn’t get selected for the Indian Premier League (IPL) and that benefits this format of the game.

“I have to make sure I get a chance and that will be hard as it is. I need to make sure I take the chance when it does come, if it is down to injuries or something else.

“Last year was good for me and I now need to build on that. Everyone pushes each other on here and I am trying to use that to my advantage. I want to play as many games as possible and that will hopefully earn me a new contract.”

Salisbury’s contract is up in the summer and he says he wants to use the T20 and County Championship as a springboard and help Essex Eagles build on their campaign last year, which was ended by Birmingham Bears.

“We did really well in the group stages last year and it was disappointing we fell just short of finals day in the end,” he said. “But we can use that to spur us on and get there this time around. We came top of the group last year and getting that home quarter-final could be important.

“We have an incredibly tough start to this season’s tournament but all games are tough. Hampshire and Surrey finished just below us in the table last year and they will be two of the toughest opponents we play this time around, particularly the opener at Hampshire.”