Opener Luke Wells remained unbeaten at tea as Sussex closed in on a draw in their Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground.

After taking 70 minutes to add to his overnight score of 7 during the morning session, Wells batted rather more fluently in the afternoon, the highlight of his innings a huge straight six off the bowling of Callum Parkinson.

Leicestershire’s bowlers stuck to their lines and lengths, but found little reward on a pitch that while dry, stubbornly refused to deteriorate.

Two wickets did fall during the session, Harry Finch going leg before half forward to seamer Ben Raine for 22, before Luke Wright, having added 60 with Wells for the fourth wicket, was bowled by an Ateeq Javid delivery that turned inside his attempted drive through the offside.

Earlier, an outstanding spell of nine overs from Leicestershire's Mohammad Abbas had set the tone for an attritional morning’s play.

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

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.

Sussex were 180-4 at tea.