GLOUCESTERSHIRE will go to Lord’s next Saturday for the Royal London One-Day Cup final confident they can win, says skipper Michael Klinger.

The county face Surrey in the big showdown and in-form Klinger will have a dual role there as not just leading by example on the pitch but encouraging the younger element not to be overawed by the occasion as it will be Gloucestershire’s first final in 11 years.

Klinger, who flew from Perth, Australia, to be at Headingley for the county’s amazing semi-final with Yorkshire last Sunday, scoring an unbeaten 137 into the bargain, means he is now top of the Professional Cricketer’s Association Most Valuable Player rankings this season.

His 551 runs at a strike rate of 95 in the Royal London One-Day Cup means he has contributed over a third of Gloucestershire’s runs in the seven games he has played for them in the competition.

But he said it is not all about him and the whole team will be looking to take the one last step and cap the season with a trophy.

Klinger, speaking at the County Ground on Thursday, said: “I will be doing my best, as will Daws and Harve (head coach Richard Dawson and assistant Ian Harvey) to calm everyone down but I also have to ensure I am in the right frame of mind because pressure can get to people at funny times.

“I will make sure that I will take my experiences from finals back in Australia and hopefully, personally, I can perform well but if not I want to be part of a winning team.

“They (Surrey) have a couple of good quality spinners and a bit of pace but so do we. We probably have a bit less experience than them but that does not count for anything on the day.

“When it comes to a final, a lot of it is who can cope under pressure so my message to the boys will be if you feel any pressure, take a few deep breaths and make sure you can stay calm because in a final, that can be the difference.”

And he admitted it is good to prove the doubters wrong. “The general cricketing public may not have expected us to do it and reach a final but we have had some strong belief in the squad and the boys have performed very well. We are going out there to win it.”