A COUPLE of Kiwis decided the only way was Essex this week when they jetted in to help the Eagles in their bid for Twenty20 glory.

Scott Styris, 35, and Tim Southee, 22, said they plan to bedazzle the Chelmsford faithful and give a 100 per cent for the side.

It is a return for all-rounder Styris to a club where he produced a number of match-winning performances last year en route to the Finals Day.

But it is a first taste of the English domestic game for fellow New Zealand international fast bowler Southee, and he joked that the only thing he had heard about the county was its infamous The Only Way Is Essex reality TV show.

He said: “What Scott had to say about Essex was one of the main reasons I came here. He did not have a bad word to say about the place.

“He enjoyed his time here last year, and it makes it easier having someone you know here while you are trying to find your feet.”

The New Zealand internationals both arrive fresh from helping the Chennai Super Kings to win the Indian Premier League.

But both admitted to having a bit of ring rust: Styris played the first two games before Australian Mike Hussey came back into the side, while Southee played in five matches early on before the return Aussie Doug Bollinger left him out of the team.

And Styris said that while the Friends Life t20 is a poor relation to the IPL in financial terms, it still has the quality to attract the world’s best players.

He said: “It is equally enjoyable, and just as much fun. And that is why you are still seeing the likes of Murali, Tait, Gilchrist, and Brendon McCullum all coming over to play. And that is because it is a great competition.

“It was great to play in a successful team last year, and it was because it was so much fun that I wanted to come back.”