Leicestershire have confirmed that Mark Pettini has signed a three-year contract at Grace Road.

The batsman has made the switch following a 14-year association with Essex, for whom he scored 7,934 runs in 153 first-class outings.

Speaking about his move, the 32-year-old told the club's official website: "I'm extremely pleased to sign. Leicestershire have shown great faith in me and I'm excited to be a part of the squad."

Meanwhile, chief executive Wasim Khan added: "We are delighted to have secured the signings of three high-class batsmen with leadership experience in Mark Pettini, Neil Dexter and Paul Horton.

"It was imperative that we added experience to our batting lineup to complement the talented young players that we have at Grace Road and we are pleased to have signed all three players before the start of our winter programme."

To date, Pettini has scored 46 half-centuries and 12 centuries in four-day cricket.