Leicestershire have announced that Iain Sutcliffe has informed the club that he has declined the invitation to become captain next season and has also turned down the offer of a new three year contract.

Grace Road general manager Kevin Hill said: "I am obviously disappointed that Iain has decided to pursue his career elsewhere.I had hoped that he and I would work closely together and share the same aspirations to achieve success for the club.

"I would like to thank Iain for his contribution to the club in recent years and I wish him every success in the future.

"We have to accept this and move forward. I will be discussing the situation with the club's management in the near future."

Sutcliffe who made his debut for Leicestershire in 1995 was one of only two batsmen to top 1000 runs for the county last season and was also named as "Player of the Year."

He captained the side on several occasions when Vince Wells was out because of injury.

© Leicestershire CCC