RAVI Bopara believes Essex’s storming start in red-ball cricket this season can transfer to the crowd-pleasing white-ball variety.

Essex top Division Two of the County Championship despite a soggy draw against Derbyshire this week, but now turn their attentions to the shortest form of the game under the lights at Chelmsford tonight.

Bopara recognises the buoyant mood around the Essex camp and sees no reason why it cannot continue into the televised NatWest T20 Blast opener against Surrey.

“It’s all about confidence and if everyone is confident then you go out without the fear of failure,” he said.

“If the batters are scoring runs they are confident and if the bowlers are taking wickets they’re happy.

“You just back yourself to go out and score runs, or you back yourself to go out and bowl well.

"It doesn’t always happen, but you give yourself the best chance by being confident.”

The newly-appointed Essex one-day captain has been in confident form himself in the first half of 2016, both in the Championship and in the Pakistan Super League, where he was voted player of the tournament.

His bowling, in particular, has grabbed attention.

He returned a career-best five for 49 against Derbyshire, and claimed six for 16 playing against Lahore Qalanders for Karachi Kings, the joint ninth best bowling in T20 history.

“I’ve learnt a lot about T20 cricket over the years going and playing in these competitions around the world,” he said.

“I’ve learnt a lot not only about myself but how to go about T20 cricket as a captain and the style of cricket we want to play.”

Bopara was a sensation in Pakistan.

He scored 329 runs, including a 43-ball 71 against Lahore, and 67 off 33 balls against Peshwar Zalami.

“I’d always back myself in T20 with my changes of pace and all that sort of stuff," said Bopara.

"I’ll do nothing different – just what I know.”

Essex’s attack will be bolstered by the arrival of the Pakistan Test bowler Wahab Riaz. And Bopara is sure he will make a big impression.

“We know he’s one of the quickest bowlers in the world," said Bopara.

"You should always go with raw pace in county cricket.

"There are not many guys after the first four or five batters who can handle it.”

But Bopara, naturally, has aspirations in both T20 and Royal London Cup competitions. “We’ve always come close, we’ve always been in quarter-finals and even finals day so we’ve got to get over that little hill," he said.

“Hopefully this year, with the confidence that’s running through the side, if we do get to that stage, we can go all the way.”