AN outstanding spell of nine overs from Mohammad Abbas provided the highlight of an attritional morning’s play on the final day of the Specsavers County Championship match between Leicestershire and Sussex at the Fischer County Ground.

The Pakistan international seamer swung and seamed the ball both ways, regularly beating the bat without taking the edge, though he did dismiss Phil Salt with an out-swinger that knocked the Sussex opener's off-stump out of the ground.

Salt’s fellow opener Luke Wells, who had been 7 not out overnight, had not added to that score after 70 minutes of play, during which he faced 47 deliveries.

Having survived the threat of Abbas, and still looking for his first run of the day, Wells was fortunate to be badly dropped by Paul Horton at midwicket off the bowling of left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson.

Once the new ball began to soften, however, batting became easier on the relatively lifeless pitch. Leicestershire did pick up another wicket, Stiaan Van Zyl leg before wicket to a Gavin Griffiths in-swinger for 24, but with Sussex leading by 116 at lunch (100-2), the game appeared to be heading for a draw.