³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Essex's Michael Pepper stressed the importance of momentum in T20 Blast cricket after becoming the first player to score a century in this season's competition.

Pepper hit 101 off just 44 balls against Middlesex, with the help of six sixes - his first hundred for the county in any format of the game.

It enabled the Eagles to chase down a tough target of 204 with 14 balls to spare and win by four wickets.

"It's always nice to get a few away early, in the gaps and a couple of nicks, and I managed to kick on," the 25-year-old told ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Essex.

"The pitch felt good and I'm glad it came off. When you're batting, momentum is so important - it lifts the confidence when everything is going your way."

Pepper's century was the 13th by an Essex player in the competition's history and the first since Cameron Delport scored 129 off 49 balls against Surrey in 2019.

The club record is still Graham Napier's astonishing unbeaten 152 off 58 balls against Sussex at Chelmsford 16 years ago.

Essex, the 2019 winners, began this season's T20 Blast with back-to-back defeats by Gloucestershire and Somerset.

"It's good to be on the board. First two games, playing away, (were) not the results we wanted," said Pepper, whose previous best T20 score was 86 not out.

"We know if we play our best cricket there's not going to be a team that can defend (a score) against us."

Pepper shared a second-wicket partnership of 83 in seven overs with South African Dean Elgar, who joined Essex as a replacement for the retired Sir Alastair Cook.

He added: "Dean has shown his class so far this year, he's played it all, done it all and it's really good batting with him."