James Anderson celebrated the news his England exile was set to end by taking a trio of wickets as Lancashire bowled Hampshire out for 246 on day one of their LV= Insurance County Championship Division One clash.
After being left out of the tour to the West Indies, Anderson was given the green light to return to the England side by new Test captain Ben Stokes and new managing director Rob Key.
At the Ageas Bowl, he produced a flawless new-ball spell on his way to three for 24, and there was also five for 45 from Hassan Ali, with Nick Gubbins’ 101 not out saving Hampshire after they had slumped to 40 for five. Lancashire reached the close 37 for one, 209 runs in arrears.
Haris Rauf was front and centre at the outset of a new era for Yorkshire at Headingley before Daniel Bell-Drummond’s century wrestled back the initiative for Kent.
Rauf, the poster boy signing as Yorkshire teamed with Pakistan Super League side Lahore Qalandars, took three wickets in the space of nine balls to light up a grey morning in the county’s first home game since the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal erupted.
But the hosts were unable to capitalise as Bell-Drummond (109) orchestrated Kent’s recovery from 20 for three to close on 270 for six.
Matt Renshaw produced a fluent century as Somerset made 351 for four against champions Warwickshire at Taunton.
The Australia Test player’s superb 129 featured 19 fours and two sixes, while skipper Tom Abell contributed 70 and Tom Lammonby 56.
Jamie Smith registered a hundred as Surrey gained the upper hand against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
Smith raised 111 not out from 239 balls to help the division leaders recover from a poor start and reach the close on 294 for four.
Ollie Pope weighed in with 84, while Sam Curran served up a late-afternoon flourish to finish unbeaten on 57.
Will Young scored 63 and Luke Proctor 60 not out in an obdurate batting performance by Northamptonshire against Essex at Chelmsford.
The visitors lost a clutch of late wickets as they crept to 233 for seven at the close.
In Division Two, Stuart Broad – also set to return for England – played for the first time since the final Ashes Test but was emphatically upstaged by his Nottinghamshire team-mate Dane Paterson against Worcestershire at Trent Bridge.
Broad took a wicket in the third of his eight overs but the man of the moment was the South African pace bowler Paterson, who finished with a career-best eight for 52 as Worcestershire were dismissed for 159 in 41 overs by the table toppers.
There were half-centuries by Haseeb Hameed and Ben Duckett in Nottinghamshire’s reply but Worcestershire took five wickets in the final session as the home side closed on 203 for seven for a lead of 44.
Brooke Guest notched a century as Derbyshire enjoyed a fruitful opening day against Glamorgan at Derby.
Guest made 109 and there was also 70 from Wayne Madsen and 60 from Shan Masood as Derbyshire got to 282 for five before bad light ended play just after 6pm.
Shaheen Afridi and Tom Helm took three wickets apiece as Middlesex’s potent seam attack shone against Leicestershire at Lord’s, with the visitors being bowled out for 149.
Mark Stoneman cemented Middlesex’s advantage with an unbeaten 80 to steer his side to 142 for two at the close, a deficit of only seven.
At Hove, Sussex dismissed Durham for 223 before skipper Tom Haines (54) made his third half-century of the season as they reached 82 for one.
Aaron Beard and Tom Clark both took three wickets in an innings that saw Durham at one stage at 75 for six, and to which Liam Trevaskis contributed 88.
