TOM Westley will be playing through the pain in a bid to secure T20 blast success for Essex this weekend.

The 26-year-old broke a rib while scoring a century against Australia at the start of the month.

But he will still be able to feature in tonight’s home clash Middlesex and Sunday’s clash as Kent as Essex bid to make the quarter-finals of the competition.

“It still feels uncomfortable but I can manage it now and will be fine to play in these last two group games,” said Westley.

“When it first happened it was unbearable and there was no way I could’ve played.

“But the coach (Paul Grayson) spoke to me about how important the next few games are for our season and how he wanted me to play.

“Obviously something like a broken rib is not just going to go away but I protect it when I’m batting and fielding and take pain killers to help as well.

“That obviously makes a difference and these are two very big matches we have coming up.”

Essex currently sit fourth in the south group of the competition and must maintain that position if they are to advance to the quarter finals.

And Westley is therefore desperate to triumph against bottom of the table Middlesex tonight.

“It’s a massive game this evening and we need to win it to make sure we keep things in our own hands,” said Westley.

“If we lose then we will need other results to go our way but we don’t want to be relying on other teams.

“We want to be able to do finish it off ourselves by winning both of these games.”

A double victory will also maintain momentum for Essex which Westley believes could prove crucial in the latter stages of the competition.

“We’ve normally qualified by this stage but we’ve done well in the last few games and want to keep it going,” said Westley.

“Last year Warwickshire only started to put a run together towards the end of their group games but sometimes that can be the best way because you have that momentum.

“And that’s something we’re hoping can carry us through.”

Essex (from): Pettini, Ryder, Westley, Bopara, ten Doeschate, Dawson, Browne, Foster, Napier, Masters, Tait, Topley, Smith & Porter