Napier took 57 wickets in all competitions for Essex this season

Essex all-rounder Graham Napier is hopeful of pushing for a place in the England reckoning next season.

The 28-year-old, who hit a record Twenty20 score of 152 earlier this year, has already represented his country at 'A' and youth level.

Big-hitting Napier told BBC Essex: "I'm only one step from completing the collection of Lions jumpers.

"It's something I've dreamt of all of my life and any opportunity for me to play for England I'm going to take it."

"When you look at the England side and how they're picking [the team] at the moment, they are picking a consistent team," he said.

"If someone doesn't perform in one game and someone does, then they stick with them. [They] are looking at the bigger picture."

People still come up to me and say 'well done, congratulations' and for me I never thought I'd be in that position in my life and it's fantastic Essex all-rounder Graham Napier

Napier took 57 wickets, including 22 in first-class matches, and scored 653 runs for his home county this season, helping them to victory in the Friends Provident Trophy and Division Two of the Pro40 Championship.

The highlight was undoubtedly that 152-not-out against Surrey in the Twenty20 Cup in June and Napier admitted the attention he subsequently received came as a surprise.

"I've been taken aback by the amount of people who look at that as a poignant moment in my career so far," he admitted.

"People still come up to me and say 'well done, congratulations' and for me I never thought I'd be in that position in my life and it's fantastic."