Paul Hoffmann, the former Scotland man, believes his fellow Australian Simon Katich will be the main threat when the Saltires take on Hampshire tomorrow.

The game is at Uddingston where Hoffmann is now the head groundsman and, apart from relishing the opportunity to watch Katich in action, he is keen on feedback from him about the strip he has prepared for the CB40 encounter.

"Simon is one of those batsmen who regard their wicket as being more precious than their grannies," said Hoffmann. "He is in the same bracket as Allan Border and Justin Langer in that he has the most tremendous depth of concentration when he is out in the middle.

"All he wants to do is stay there as long as possible and, if he is in the mood this weekend, our bowlers could be in for a hard time."

Katich warmed up for the visit to Bothwell Castle Policies by hitting a superb century in Hampshire's County Championship outing against Yorkshire at Headingley, and Hoffmann added: "Though he is known as a grafter, he is quite capable of opening out when the circumstances are right.

"He certainly is not the type to start moaning about the Scottish weather in the way that some of his South of England team-mates might.

"I am looking forward to seeing how he plays on the track I've prepared. I think it will be just right for a sporting contest, offering a bit of help to the bowlers, but also good to bat on with consistent bounce. On a surface like that, it is up to players to get the basics right.

"I am also looking forward to getting feedback on my work from Katich because he is someone who has plied his trade all over the world at all the Test venues. All I will ask of him is to be honest in his assessment and I will learn from what he tells me."

Victory for the Scots would boost their quest to qualify for the knockout stages for the first time.

Saltires are second in their group, having beaten Nottighamshire and lost to Surrey in Edinburgh while they shared the points with Welsh Dragons from last weekend's abandoned tie at Uddingston.

Hoffmann is confident the weather will be kinder this time round. "It looks as if there will be some decent sunshine and a breeze, so my fingers are crossed that we will get a full game, and a home win if we can put the shackles on Katich."