Former Hampshire wicketkeeper Michael Bates has spent the winter training with Essex – but is still without a county contract.

The 24 year-old, controversially released by Hampshire last season, is set to begin the season with his cricketing future still very much in the balance, despite spending much of the winter training with James Foster.

Bates is arguably the third-best wicketkeeper in the country after Foster and Chris Read, but the fact his batting does not reach the same heights made him surplus to requirements at the Ageas Bowl.

Hampshire’s wicketkeeping coach, Bobby Parks, has admitted he will be “heartbroken” if Bates does not get another opportunity, 18 months after fellow gloveman Adam Rouse was released for similar reasons.

Essex coach Paul Grayson gave Bates the chance to keep his eye in and admits there may be an opportunity now that Ben Foakes has left for Surrey after becoming as frustrated as Adam Wheater, whose move to the Ageas Bowl two years ago was the death knell for Bates’s Hampshire career, at being Foster’s understudy.

But there are no guarantees.

Grayson said: “Michael’s been training with us over the winter but financially we’re not in a position to have another established keeper on the staff.

“In James Foster we already have the best keeper in the country. If he got injured and we felt the young keepers on our staff weren’t ready we could register Michael and he could come on board.

“But at the moment there isn’t an offer on the table. We were more than happy for him to come along and be involved because everyone in county cricket knows he’s an outstanding keeper.

“It’s real a shame he’s in this situation. Rousey’s another one who probably should be involved somewhere but counties just can’t afford to have two experienced keepers on the staff. That’s the way the game is.”