Stephen Eskinazi to leave Middlesex for Leicestershire

Stephen Eskinazi, the ex-captain of Middlesex's T20 side, has negotiated an early release from his contract with the club to join Leicestershire in pursuit of more opportunities in red-ball cricket.

Eskinazi, 31, became a Middlesex regular during their charge to the County Championship title in 2016, scoring hundreds against Lancashire and Yorkshire, but has not scored a first-class century for three years and has only been picked for four Championship matches this year.

His contract with Middlesex was due to run until the end of next season, but he has now signed a three-year deal with Leicestershire - who look set to win promotion from Division Two - and will join the club on loan for their promotion run-in in September.

"Middlesex County Cricket Club has been my family for over 12 years and I can't do justice in a few words what the club means to me," Eskinazi said. "As I leave to continue to challenge myself on and off the field, I hope that Lord's is always a place that I can come back to and reflect on a huge part of my journey, from Championship wins, to lifelong friends made.

"Having closely watched the way the club has operated in recent years, I'm unbelievably excited to be part of the next chapter of Leicestershire's journey. I have an extremely strong relationship with many members of the dressing room already… I knew this was an opportunity to join something special on and off the field."

Only Dawid Malan has scored more T20 runs for Middlesex than Eskinazi, and he spent three-and-a-half years as captain before stepping down midway through this year's Blast for personal reasons, unrelated to his move to Leicestershire.

Middlesex's director of cricket, Alan Coleman, described Eskinazi as "an exceptional servant" for the club and said he will leave "on great terms".

"In recent seasons, whilst excelling in white-ball cricket, he has found it hard to secure a regular place in the club's red-ball side, and this is the primary reason for him requesting to leave the club a year ahead of his contract expiring," Coleman said.

Leicestershire announced the signings of Josh Davey and Jonny Tattersall (from Somerset and Yorkshire respectively) on Wednesday, with Ben Green also expected to join permanently as he leaves Somerset.

Elsewhere, Warwickshire have announced that Keith Barker will rejoin from Hampshire next year on a 12-month deal. Barker has not played a professional match since serving a 12-month suspension for using a banned substance, which Hampshire described as an "administrative error". His ban ended in July, but he has since been sidelined with a calf injury.