County Championship: Leaders Middlesex looking to push home advantage

In the morning session, Lancashire had taken the last seven Middlesex wickets for 69 to limit the visitors to 327 and, vitally in a tight title race, just three batting points.

But Roland-Jones took four wickets in 29 balls, and Tim Murtagh took one wicket to wrestle control back to the Division One leaders with the home side trailing by 225 runs.

The pair started with three maidens, then Roland-Jones got one to lift and nip away from Haseeb Hameed, who could only edge to second slip. Luke Procter then drove hard at Murtagh but edged straight to gully, before Roland-Jones struck twice in an over, with Alviro Petersen well caught by John Simpson down the legside and Steven Croft bowled by a full ball.

Jos Buttler (16), playing his first Championship match since September 2014, came out and looked to counter-attack, twice cover-driving beautifully, but soon fell in the same fashion as Petersen, with a leg glance caught by Simpson, diving one-handed to his left.

From 32-5, Rob Jones and Liam Livingstone looked to rebuild. When bad light brought an early tea at 2.50pm they had shared 25.

By 4.30pm, when the players left the field due to rain – and did not return – that stand had swelled to 70. Jones (42 not out) had grown into his innings, driving beautifully to reach the highest score of his three-match first-class career, while Livingstone had carted Ollie Rayner for four wide of long-on.

Livingstone survived an lbw appeal from Murtagh on 26, but otherwise it was an assured stand, stymying more impressive Middlesex bowling.