Surrey lost six wickets for just seven runs to collapse to 146 for 6 against Middlesex after an opening stand of 135 between Rory Burns and Mark Stoneman had given the home side early control of the London derby at the Kia Oval.

But three wickets for 24-year-old all-rounder Martin Andersson – including the scalps of England pair Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes for ducks during a double-wicket maiden – spearheaded Middlesex’s fightback in a dramatic pre-tea session.

Burns made 64 and Stoneman 63 but when they fell in successive overs the Surrey innings became a sorry procession against some inspired bowling from a predominantly youthful Middlesex seam attack.

Blake Cullen, Ethan Bamber and Tom Helm all took a wicket apiece, while Andersson also sent back Jordan Clark for 1, leg-before to a ball angled into his pads to leave shell-shocked Surrey 142 for 6 in the penultimate over before the interval.

Rain then swept across south London, ruling out any more play on the opening day of this LV= Insurance County Championship match, with 40 overs lost.

Burns and Stoneman both enjoyed some moments of good fortune after Middlesex had opted to bowl, surviving a couple of loud lbw shouts in particular, but by lunch they had added 95 with some fluent strokeplay in front of 3,500 socially-distanced supporters in the Oval stands.

There was a half-hour delay to the afternoon session, because of light rain, and both openers completed their fifties with boundaries – Stoneman steering Helm to third man and Burns driving Bamber superbly back past the stumps.

Stoneman, on 62, was close to being lbw to Bamber but in the next over was given out caught behind by a diving John Simpson off Cullen even though replays suggested the ball had clipped the top of his front pad and not the inside edge.

Burns hit 11 fours in his sixth half-century in nine championship innings, taking his run-tally to 450 at an average of 50, but was beaten off the pitch by Bamber and adjudged leg-before while Andersson struck with his first ball back to have Pope lbw.

Four balls later Foakes edged to Simpson and, in the next over, Helm’s pace and bounce forced Jamie Smith to nick to Robbie White at first slip and depart for a third-ball duck.

Clark quickly followed, leaving Rikki Clarke to join Hashim Amla with a major repair job required. Amla is on 6, Clarke has 4 and Andersson’s figures are an eye-catching 4-1-17-3.