Vitality Blast: Essex batter Michael Pepper very excited

Pepper was named in a 16-player squad for the 144-mile journey to Birmingham, as Essex make their sixth appearance at the showpiece event, aiming for a second title following their 2019 triumph.

The Eagles are once again led by Simon Harmer, who saw them to a dramatic win four years ago, and their first order of business is a semi-final clash with defending champions Hampshire Hawks, captained by James Vince.

“I’m very excited. It’s the biggest day in the county cricket timetable and the day you want to get to,” Pepper told BBC Essex.

“We should’ve won one [game against Hampshire], but I guess if we keep doing what we’ve been doing in the last couple of games I think we should be good.

“We’ve got world-class players and it often only takes one player or moment to change the game.”

No side has ever retained the T20 title in the two decades it has been in existence, but Vince’s charges, having emerged victorious in the competition last summer, are still in with a shot of becoming the first team to do so.

“We have been consistent in making the finals but with four good teams in the mix we are not going to win it every time,” said England international Vince, who is the competition’s leading run scorer this season with 657.

“Essex have quality players and it will come down to playing good cricket and hoping someone in our team puts in a match-winning performance.”

Having secured a last-ball win at Surrey in their final group game, Feroze Khushi misses the trip to Edgbaston due to a fractured hand injury that kept him out of the last week’s quarter-final match against Birmingham Bears and the Championship fixture against Lancashire.

Khushi will now start his rehabilitation after seeing a hand specialist, and has been replaced by Josh Rymell in the Essex squad.

Essex: Simon Harmer (c), Ben Allison, Aaron Beard, Will Buttleman, Sam Cook, Matt Critchley, Robin Das, Dan Lawrence, Aron Nijjar, Michael Pepper, Adam Rossington, Josh Rymell, Daniel Sams, Shane Snater, Paul Walter, Tom Westley.