Pettini excited by Foxes potential

New Leicestershire Foxes one-day captain Mark Pettini admits he already has a selection headache – and there's still three months before his one-day leadership gets underway in a competitive game at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road!

Pettini is impressed with the quality of the players he has seen so far and there are plenty more to arrive, including his four-day captain Mark Cosgrove, overseas duo Clint McKay and Umar Akmal, and the O’Brien brothers.

The 32-year-old will bring vast experience to the role and has a track record both in performance and leadership. Pettini has scored more than 15,000 professional runs, including twenty centuries, and his strike rates in white ball cricket are mightily impressive.

Pettini’s CV also includes winning the one-day cup while at Essex, who have been one of the best teams in the country in white ball cricket in recent years. He has played with some top players and learnt a lot over the years.

He said: "I'm really excited to do the job, it's a great honour and we've got a team at Leicestershire with great potential. I can see that we have got a lot of bases covered, skills-wise, in white ball cricket.

"I have got a lot of experience now, I've played for a good few years and hopefully that should help the side in tactical decisions that need to be made on the field. Those in-game decisions in T20 are key because they happen so quickly and you need to get them as correct as possible.

“I will also look to chat to the guys off the field and pass my knowledge on. I want people to be clear of their roles and I'd like to play a part in helping them prepare to do that. I have enjoyed meeting everybody and I want to help the lads progress their individual games this season.

"The balance of the squad is good and there is real cause for optimism in all competitions. If you asked me to name the side for the first T20 or 50-over game of the season, it's not straightforward and that is an extremely healthy position for us to be in. There is a lot of competition for places and a lot of players who can do different jobs for us.”

Pettini is excited by everything going on at Leicestershire County Cricket Club as he embarks on a new challenge at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road. The batsman is particularly impressed with the backing that has been shown to the cricket department.

He said: "I think there's been some good signings made and as a new player coming in, it's great to see a club that's putting investment into cricket at all levels.

“There are lots of developments at the ground, a pre-season tour to Dubai, new players coming in and it was also good to see a keenness to bring in two overseas players for NatWest T20 Blast. When a club commits resources to that, it is a really good sign.

"We’ll rightly be judged on results and it’s up to us playing good cricket and putting in performances but at this stage it’s about preparing well. The players have already been working hard on one-day cricket, and there is a lot of white ball cricket on the pre-season tour.

“Sometimes you focus on the red ball cricket as you start with that, so there's been a tendency at clubs in the past to leave the white ball cricket until a bit later. But there's been a decision at Leicestershire to address that early, which I think is a good move.”

* The best way to watch Leicestershire County Cricket Club during the 2016 season is through our great value Membership packages. Prices start from £10 for under 16s in our Charlie Fox Club, £60 for students and under 22s, £115 for seniors and £140 for adults. For more information, please follow the link HERE or call 0116 245 2401.