Somerset star Pete Trego insists his side will have a major advantage over most of the other teams when the Champions League begins next week.

The Weston-super-Mare all-rounder believes going into the Twenty20 tournament straight after the domestic season could give the Sabres the edge.

Somerset CCC's opponents – the Deccan Chargers and Trindiad & Tobago – have had the last six months off.

"I think progressively as a player you improve throughout a season," he said. "By the time we are out there we should be hitting our straps. You can't make up competitive cricket – there is no comparison.

"A lot of the teams are going to be looking at it as a pre-season warm-up. It is a massive competition but we are coming into it off the back off a massively competitive season so we are going to be ready."

Trego begins the tournament on a high after gaining his first England selection since he played for the Under-19s under Ian Bell's captaincy.

He has been picked for the squad for the Hong Kong Sixes – a long-running tournament at the Kowloon Cricket Club almost straight after the trip to India for the Champions League.

Trego is naturally hoping it will prove to be a stepping stone to bigger things. "It is great timing," he said. "It is a huge boost for me to realise that I am on the radar and following on from the Champions League it is a great opportunity to show what I can do.

"It has been a great boost personally and I am looking forward to the next few weeks."

Coach Andy Hurry is hoping Trego's selection will be a boost for the rest of the team. "It sends a clear message to the other squad members," said Hurry. "We are competing in the best divisions and best competitions and if we are successful people get noticed.

"Anyone who gets called up to the next level, it is a boost for them individually but also for the whole club. Hopefully that will kick-start everyone else's aspirations."

Trego's big hitting in the middle order is well known throughout county cricket with his 53-ball century against Yorkshire this year only underlining his potential.

What is less recognised is Trego's subtle variations when bowling. The all-rounder can all too easily be dismissed as a medium-paced trundler who is only a threat when the ball is swinging.

But Twenty20 finals day – when Somerset CCC beat Kent and then lost to Sussex in the final – showcased Trego's clever use of the slower ball.

Trego has former Gloucestershire all-rounder Ian Harvey to thank for helping him to develop his use of his various back of the hand deliveries.

"It has been a process I have been working on for a while," said Trego. "It has come from the confidence of playing a lot of cricket for the last three or four years and the skills are coming forward nicely.

"It is going to be key over in India on potentially abrasive wickets that the slower balls in the middle period of the Twenty20 could be a big advantage and I have been practising hard.

"I had a chat with Ian Harvey. It was not so much the technique of bowling the slower ball but he was saying he bowls with the mentality of a spinner rather than a seam bowler.

"Our stock delivery is of a similar pace and quality batsmen can line you up a little bit so it is about thinking two or three balls in advance and knowing when they are going to come at you."