ASHAR Zaidi is well aware that Essex’s two T20 Blast games this weekend could make or break their campaign.

The Eagles are bottom of the southern division after four defeats in five games, and need to win the majority of their nine remaining fixtures to qualify for the quarter-finals for a third year in succession.

That mission improbable starts against Hampshire at Chelmsford tonight and continues at The Oval tomorrow afternoon against Surrey.

Essex are top of both the County Championship and their Royal London One-Day Cup group, but have lost all three games at ‘Fortress Chelmsford’ in the T20 to date.

And Zaidi, who is affectionately known as ‘Boom Boom’ for his big-hitting, said Essex need to sharpen up quickly.

“We haven’t got off to a good start in the T20,” admitted Karachi-born all-rounder Zaidi. “We haven’t been able to build any momentum in the competition because we keep losing.

“We’ve got to get our act together. T20 is a fast-paced game and things can turn round pretty quickly. I think if we can win five or six of the nine games then we can still qualify.”

“Everyone knows how crucial these next two games are to get the momentum on our side. Hopefully we can get that momentum going, get two wins and take the confidence into the remaining games.”

The 34-year-old has key roles to play with bat and ball. Coming in at No7 in white-ball cricket with the aim of adding quick runs, he has not let Essex down with 181 runs at an average of around 30.

Once he arrives at the crease Zaidi doesn’t hang about. He ended the 50-over game against Kent last week by belting the ball straight past the bowler off the only ball he faced.

“I’m pretty confident every time I bat,” he said. “If the ball is in the right area I can’t see why I can’t hit it. I try to be positive with every ball – that’s my theory at the moment and so far it has worked!”

His spinners have brought seven one-day wickets this season, three of them to stumpings by James Foster off balls that were signalled as wides. Two of them came in one over against Kent, the other accounting for Luke Wright at Hove, a particularly satisfying moment as Zaidi was released by Sussex last year.

“It’s just your instinct as a bowler,” said Zaidi. “Sometimes you feel the batsmen aren’t trying to come at you. I’ve been working on it with Fozzie. I believe he can do magic things, he’s got such skill in his hands.

“Sometimes it might not happen and it looks like absolute rubbish. Again it is all down to confidence.”