Leicestershire head coach Phil Whitticase is expecting to name the side on duty in the rain-affected match against Lancashire last week, for the Championshyip clash with Hampshire starting at Grace Road on Wednesday.

The only doubt is Australian left-hander Michael Bevan, who missed Sunday's Norwich Union League victory over Glamorgan at Swansea because of a groin strain.

Whitticase said:"Michael made the decision not to play, because he felt that the demands of the sharper one-day game could have aggravated the injury and possibly put him out of action for some time.

"But he is confident that he will be fit for the Hampshire match and feels he can nurse himself through a four-day game with less risk.Rob Cunliffe and Jamie Grove will also be in the squad, but my feeling is that we will field an unchanged side.

"I was very pleased with our efforts on the final day of the game against Lancashire, particularly the bowling performances of Devon Malcolm and Phil DeFreitas. If we had not had two full days washed out by the weather, I believe we would have won the match.

"This is a big game against Hampshire who are third in the table and have lost only one match - against us earlier in the season at the Rose Bowl when we beat them by an innings.

"We have to remember what we did and how we played on that occasion, and come up with a game plan to beat them again - weather permitting."

Leicestershire will certainly be hoping that Malcolm continues in the rich vein of form which has brought him 36 Championship wickets this season - 26 of them in the last six innings.

Although he will be 40 in February the former England fast-bowler is keen to extend his stay at Grace Road and Leicestershire secretary-manager James Whitaker said:"It's likely we will be sitting down to discuss things in the next few weeks."

The likely Leicestershire side is: Ward, Sutcliffe, Maddy, Bevan, Wells(captain), Stevens, Burns (wicket-keeper), DeFreitas, Crowe, Whiley, Malcolm.

© Leicestershire CCC