Luke Hollman rained on James Anderson‘s parade as Middlesex reached 139 for 3 on a murky, rain-reduced opening day of their fixture against Lancashire at Merchant Taylors’ School.

Anderson returned from a two-month absence with a calf problem to lead a Lancashire side attempting to avoid one of the worst County Championship finishes in its history. Displaying all the craft of his 44 years, Anderson took two early wickets on a day where only 39 overs were bowled due to rain and bad light.

But Hollman, pressed into service as an opener for the second successive match, passed 50 for the 10th time in his first-class career, finishing on 54 not out to lead Middlesex to calmer waters before the weather closed in.

The toss was won by Middlesex who chose to bat at 10.45am, but morning rain meant they didn’t make it to the crease until 2:10pm. Under gloomy skies, Anderson was twice driven for four by Hollman, but it didn’t take him long to make the ball talk.

Sam Robson survived one strangled appeal after being wrapped on the pad, but Anderson had his number next ball as Robson inside-edged one into his off-stump. Anderson struck again in his next over, producing a beauty which jagged back off the seam between bat and pad to bowl Max Holden for a duck.

Hollman and skipper Leus du Plooy managed to negotiate the rest of Anderson’s six-over spell, keeping the scoreboard moving by trading almost exclusively in boundaries. Hollman punched one square off the back foot, while du Plooy caressed a trio of fours through the covers before swatting a short one from Ben Walkden dismissively over midwicket.

The pair rattled up a stand of 72 in good time before, with tea imminent, du Plooy swished at a full ball from George Balderson and was caught at slip.

Hollman responded with three consecutive cover boundaries before the interval, and reached his 50 shortly after the resumption, complete with 11 fours.

With Ben Geddes driving fluently at the other end, particularly through the cover region, Anderson’s post-tea spell was repelled and the 50 partnership was in sight when bad light intervened for a final time.