Mark Pettini has resigned as Essex captain in all formats of the game, saying pressure and exhaustion were the reasons behind the decision.

James Foster, who replaced Pettini as T20 captain a couple of weeks ago when he took a break from cricket, has been named his replacement and will be in charge of the side today when Essex face Nottinghamshire at the Ford County Ground in LV= County Championship division one.

Pettini said: “I felt it was time for me to step down as Essex captain. We suffered a poor start to the Friends Provident t20 campaign and I wanted to be able to focus on my own game.

“I got to the point that I was exhausted and I was under pressure with my batting.

“The team performances were, at that stage, not going to plan and personally I was struggling with the bat."

For the full story see today's Gazette.