Rod Bransgrove has insisted that Paul Terry and Shane Warne are Hampshire's dream ticket.

Warne is yet to be confirmed as Hampshire skipper for next year but the likelihood is that he will return as captain as Terry begins his second season as manager - and Bransgrove is excited at the prospect.

The Rose Bowl plc chairman said: "I was with Paul and Shane when they met up in Sharjah for the first time to talk about our plans for Hampshire at the beginning of the year and I could have listened to them talk for hours.

"They both have a wealth of knowledge on the game and don't always agree so it was fascinating to listen to them.

"Paul is quite Australianised himself after living over there for eight years, but they're very different characters and between them we've got a very knowledgeable and dynamic duet.

"Shane is having a significant say on next season, he has recent on-field knowledge of international players and he and Paul are often on the phone."

Warne was believed to be keen on bringing Australian teammate Andy Bichel, who has also been linked with Gloucestershire, to the Rose Bowl as Hampshire's second overseas player in 2004

But with John Francis and Robin Smith now gone, as well as Simon Katich, Terry wants a quality batsman.

Bransgrove added: "I'm pretty certain they know what they want and who and will be making the right kind of overtures.

"A lot of names have been mentioned but I don't want to speculate on that because clearly we don't want everybody else trying to do the same thing."

Warne's year-long ban for taking a banned diuretic drug expires in February, six weeks before the end of the Australian domestic season.

He is expected to take over as captain from John Crawley who was named as Hampshire skipper just 11 days before the start of the 2003 season.

Bransgrove added: "The expectancy is that Shane Warne will lead the side but we haven't made a formal decision yet and will wait until we go through the proper channels with John, who I've got nothing but praise for.

"He's an absolutely smashing bloke, he took this job at very short notice under not ideal circumstances.

"He sacrificed himself several times by opening the batting for us and found out he was not being retained, very surprisingly, by England.

"Then he went through a very difficult patch with his own form and the team's form.

"But he just carried on leading the side and I've got nothing but overwhelming respect for that.

"Having said all that, I very much doubt he'll be the first in the queue to take over the captaincy next year.

"That's because it's hard work, it's distracting and he's given it everything."