Essex swoop for Petersen

Want to know which players have gone where? Click here for all the comings and goings on the domestic scene

Former Glamorgan captain Alviro Petersen is set to play in LV= County Championship Division Two again after signing for Essex

Essex have signed Alviro Petersen for the first half of the 2012 season, subject to confirmation from Cricket South Africa.

The 31-year-old batsman, who has played 10 Tests for the Proteas, would join countrymen Greg Smith and Charl Willoughby at Essex with the pair arriving at Chelmsford this winter from Derbyshire and Somerset respectively.

Petersen would be available for eight LV= County Championship and four Clydesdale Bank 40 matches.

He had signed an agreement with Glamorgan to retire from the international game and return to the county as a Kolpak player but, after his fine form led to a South Africa Test recall, he asked to be released from his commitment in order to continue his international career.

Essex head coach Paul Grayson said: "It is very exciting that we can bring Alviro to the club as he is an experienced county cricketer.

“Obviously he has played against us many times before and he hit a good hundred for Glamorgan when we went to the SWALEC Stadium last season.

"He will certainly bring his vast knowledge, experience and leadership in the game to the squad.

"We are all very happy to be able to add someone of Petersen's quality to the squad for the first half of the season, featuring in eight LV= County Championship and four Clydesdale Bank 40 games.

"We will be looking to get off to a good start in front of the Chelmsford crowd against Gloucestershire and for Alviro, he will certainly be looking to have a successful time with us to secure a place in South Africa's Test squad to face England later in the year."

Click here for all the latest news from the domestic cricket scene, including exclusive interviews, team news, match reports and photo galleries