Ervine has scored 698 runs in one-day cricket for Zimbabwe

Hampshire manager Giles White expects Sean Ervine to play for the county next year despite his call-up to the provisional Zimbabwe World Cup squad.

Ervine, 28, is contracted to Hampshire until the end of the 2011 season but will have to revert to overseas status if he wishes to play for his country.

White told BBC Solent: "I'll speak with Sean and get to the bottom of this but I expect him to be with us next year.

"We've offered him a new deal and he's said he'd like to take that up."

The final 15-man Zimbabwean national squad for the 2011 ICC World Cup will be selected in January and the tournament is due to start on 19 February.

We will get him on phone and sort things out so we can move things forward and hopefully get some clarity Hampshire manager Giles White

If selected to play, Ervine will revert to an overseas player - but Hampshire have signed Pakistani leg-spinner Imran Tahir to fill that role.

The all-rounder, who has 42 one-day caps for his country, quit international cricket in 2004 alongside 14 other Zimbabwean players after a dispute with the local sports' administrators.

White admits he was surprised to hear Ervine had been named in Zimbabwe's preliminary 30-man national squad.

"I only found out about it today so I didn't realise he would be called up," White added.

"I will be interested to find out more about it because he is under contract with Hampshire.

"I will try to contact Sean [Ervine] but it's difficult as he's on a farm in Zimbabwe, but we will get him on phone and sort things out so we can move things forward and hopefully get some clarity."

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