Leicestershire are set to re-jig their batting line up for the visit of Division Two leaders Sussex today.

Andrew McDonald has been declared fit to play in the four-day match at Grace Road after missing the most recent Championship match, last week's draw at Glamorgan.

With the Australian restored to the middle order, Matthew Boyce looks likely to be the man to miss out.

Should that be the case, Paul Nixon will move up a place to open alongside Will Jefferson.

Leicestershire have named a squad of 12 for the match with the starting XI dependent on whether senior coach Tim Boon and captain Matthew Hoggard opt to retain a double spin threat or restore young pace bowler Nathan Buck to the line-up.

The former England under-19 seamer has 28 wickets to his name this season, a tremendous performance in his first full campaign. But he sat out the trip to Wales last week with off-spinner Jigar Naik playing alongside slow left-armer Claude Henderson on a pitch which gave plenty of assistance to the slow bowlers.

Boon was largely happy with the performance at Swansea where there were some notable performances with the bat from Jacques du Toit, James Taylor and Nixon who all posted half-centuries in a testing environment.

Naik also turned in a determined second-innings performance with the bat to add to the four wickets he claimed in the Glamorgan innings.

"Had we set Glamorgan 180-200 and they had gone for them it could have been interesting," said Boon. "The main thing though is that the result kept us in touch in the table.

"There is a lot of cricket coming up and this is a key time of the season for us with games against Sussex, Derbyshire and Middlesex coming up in quick succession."

Sussex were comfortable winners when the sides met at Hove earlier in the season, though matters might have been different had Hoggard not been struck down with illness just before the start of the game.

They have not had life all their own way after last season's relegation.

"But have done enough to sit at the top of the table and retain the tag of favourites for promotion.

"They have created a winning culture in one-day cricket," said Boon.

"But they are a strong team who put runs on the board with their batting line-up including Michael Yardy, Murray Goodwin, Ed Joyce and Luke Wright.

"They aren't such a young side any more, either. They are experienced with plenty of people who have played international cricket.

"Their coach, Mark Robinson, has put his own stamp on the side. He's done a good job there."

Meanwhile Taylor, Leicestershire's leading run-scorer this season, had a work out with the England squad at Loughborough on Tuesday as Andrew Strauss's side prepared at the National Cricket Centre for today's first Test against Pakistan.

"James has performed well and England wanted to give him the flavour of what it is all about," said Boon.