Mark Pettini, the recently appointed captain of Essex after the enforced retirement of Ronnie Irani, is a young player, who is highly regarded on the county circuit.

A dangerous ball striker at the top of the innings in all forms of the game, he was picked in England’s initial 30 man squad for the Twenty20 World Cup but did not make the final cut.

After a fantastic 2006 when he scored over 1200 first class runs at 46.84 including three hundreds as well as six quickfire one-day fifties which led to him receiving his county cap, Pettini has found 2007 far tougher.

A first-class average of just 23.05 this season does not do justice to his immense talent but “second seasonitis” is not uncommon and Pettini has the ability and character to bounce back strongly. The 24-year-old is honoured to have been handed the captaincy and is refreshingly candid about the effect it might have had on his game and what he hopes for his team for the remainder of the season.

“I approach my innings in the same way I always have but I wouldn’t be human if the captaincy hasn’t had some effect on me, I won’t lie about that,” he said. “The responsibility of the team now falls squarely on my shoulders, which is how it should be. There is lots of talk about us being a team in transition but it’s not just a case of being a great team in the future, we must expect to win games now. We have talented young players who must stand up and show what they can do.”