Michael Carberry leaves Hampshire as a legend after signing a two-year deal with Leicestershire.  

Carberry joined Leicestershire on loan last month before returning to the Hampshire ranks briefly for the NatWest T20 Blast semi-final defeat against Nottinghamshire, which turned out to be his last appearance for the county.

Now he is set to end his career at Grace Road, the ground where his first-class career began when he made his Surrey debut in 2001.

His career failed to get going at his home county or with Kent, but has flourished during his time at The Ageas Bowl, which began under Shane Warne's captaincy. 

Hampshire director of cricket, Giles White said: “Michael has been an outstanding professional for Hampshire over a number of years.

“He has been an integral part of many successful campaigns and has always been a very popular figure at the club.

“We all wish him well with the exciting challenge at Leicestershire and look forward to seeing him back at the Ageas Bowl in the future.”

The left-hander has been a tremendous servant for the club since joining from Surrey in 2006 and has been a prominent performer with the bat for more than a decade.

Carberry amassed a total of more than 16,849 runs in 369 matches for Hampshire across all formats, with more than 10,000 of these coming in first-class cricket at an average of 42.64.

He scored 9,688 Championship runs for Hampshire at 41.40, including 24 centuries.

His career-best  300 not out against Yorkshire in 2011, against an attack including Ryan Sidebottom and Adil Rashid was one of many career highlights at The Ageas Bowl.

The 523 runs he shared with Neil McKenzie for Hampshire's third wicket in that match will surely remain Hampshire's highest partnership for any wicket for many years.

Ironically, Carberry scored more first-class runs against Warwickshire, Hampshire's opponents next week, than any other county (1369 at 50.7).

He has also been a key player in Hampshire’s limited-overs success over the years, contributing 3,519 List A runs at an average of 38.67 and 3,066 T20 runs at an average of 31.28.

Few who were there will forget his unbeaten 100 (66 balls) against Lancashire as Hampshire won their  2013 T20 quarter final by one run, a few months after his 150 not out (115 balls) against the same opposition in that season's 40-over competition.

But arguably his biggest success during his time at The Ageas Bowl has been the way he has overcome adversity.

Who knows how much more he would have achieved had it not been for the blood clots that were discovered on his lungs in 2010. 

The way he has battled back from cancer in the last 14 months has also been nothing short of inspirational.

Now Carberry, who turns 37 next week, is looking forward to a new chapter. 

“It is great to be joining Leicestershire, " he said.

“We have a healthy balance of talented young players and experience within the squad and I’m looking forward to helping the club win games over the next two years.”

Leicestershire CCC Chief Executive Wasim Khan MBE said: “We’ve been looking to add an experienced opener to our squad and Michael fits the bill for us.

“Michael’s first-class record speaks for itself, and this coupled with his international experience and hunger to perform, will add significant value to the development of our younger players both on and off the field. It is great to have Michael with us for the next two seasons.”