Mark Pettini is a talented strokeplayer, but the feeling persists he hasn't made the most of his ability. His explosive batting in one-day and T20 cricket remains an important component of the Essex set-up but, after being made captain at the age of 23, Pettini struggled to attain the level of scoring in four-day cricket that made him one of the county's most promising young batsmen.

The former England Under-19 player graduated to become an integral performer for Essex in the summer of 2006 - he scored three centuries, including a double, on his way to 1,218 first-class runs, proving himself a lot more than a one-day specialist. He quickly developed into a major force in the top order and, when Ronnie Irani stood down mid-way through the 2007 season, Pettini was handed the captaincy. In the same month he was nominated in England's provisional World Twenty20 squad.

That and leading Essex to the 2008 Friends Provident Trophy were the high points for Pettini, however, as his form suffered to the extent that he gave up the captaincy in 2010 to save his batting. The following season saw him in and out of the four-day side but he showed signs of a renaissance in 2012, with some gritty innings in difficult conditions. These were rewarded by a new two-year contract. In 2011-12 and 2012-13, Pettini had successful spells with Mountaineers in Zimbabwe as an overseas player.
ESPNcricinfo staff