Middlesex took ruthless advantage of winning a valuable toss by bowling Warwickshire out for 60 on the opening day of their LV=Insurance County Championship match at Edgbaston.

Warwickshire were skittled for their lowest championship total since 1982 (43 v Sussex at Edgbaston) as Ethan Bamber took five for 20 and skipper Toby Roland-Jones three for 27. The seamers skilfully exploited helpful conditions but were abetted by some flawed defensive shots.

Middlesex then replied with 199 (Ryan Higgins 53 off 72 balls; Ed Barnard and Mir Hamza both three for 49) for a first innings lead of 139 - and there was still time on a chaotic day for the home side to lose two wickets second time round, reaching 53 for two by the close.

When Roland-Jones won the toss, he hoped his seam attack would make early inroads - to have the home side 17 for five after 23 minutes did that job.

It all started swimmingly for Warwickshire as both openers struck their first ball for four, but Roland-Jones launched the clatter with a lifter which Alex Davies gloved to the wicketkeeper. Two balls later, the skipper sent a full-length ball into Will Rhodes’ stumps.

Bamber then found Sam Hain’s edge and Sam Robson took a slick catch at second slip. A simpler chance, offered by Rob Yates off Roland-Jones, was also accepted by Robson before Bamber bowled the entire middle order in 44 balls.

Dan Mousley and Jake Bethell were bowled through the gate, Michael Burgess was castled by one that kept low and Ed Barnard’s off-stump was clipped by a peach of an outswinger.

When Henry Brookes edged Higgins to third slip, number 11 Mir Hamza found himself striding in at 12.20pm. He was soon making the return journey after nicking a pull at Higgins.

In ten minutes batting before lunch, Middlesex lost Robson who edged Olly Hannon-Dalby to first slip. Soon after the interval, Steve Eskinazi edged Hannon-Dalby behind and Mark Stoneman fell lbw to Mir Hamza who then bowled Max Holden through another open gate.

After diligent innings of 18 (66 and 54 balls respectively) from Jack Davies and Jon Simpson were ended by fatal edges, Higgins and Josh De Caires counter-attacked. For the first time the pressure was turned on the bowlers as the seventh-wicket pair added 71 in 18 overs.

Higgins has damaged Warwickshire in the past with the ball, notably with 11-96 for Gloucestershire in the Bob Willis Trophy at Bristol in 2020. This time he biffed seven fours and a six on his way to his 18th first class fifty before becoming the first of three wickets for Barnard.

Higgins was bowled, De Caires (37, 56 balls) skied a slog and Roland-Jones (21, 15 balls) struck the ball into the crowd at long on but clipped off a bail with his after-stroke and departed hit-wicket.

When Bamber fell lbw to Hannon-Dalby, Middlesex had a chunky lead of 139 and, remarkably, Warwickshire were in again for 13 overs.

Their traumas continued as Davies sliced Bamber into the cordon to add a first-baller to his morning second-baller and Rhodes nicked an indiscrete waft at Tom Helm. That was careless from the captain but it was Warwickshire’s morning of mayhem that has left them in a cavernous hole.

Higgins said: "The way the bowlers set the game up for us this morning was fantastic. Bambs was accurate all day and got the rewards that maybe he hasn't in the last couple of weeks even though he has bowled fantastically well. And Ro-Jo, coming back in, was just class, setting the tempo with that first wicket. It was a really good day. 

"With the bat I just thought I needed to put the pressure back on the bowlers. Davo and Maxy had batted really well and then Simmo saw off the new ball and made it a lot easier for the guys coming in at the back end. For me it was about putting pressure on the bowlers and then settling back into normal batting.

"Now we have got to be really clinical and put a lot of pressure on their batters to force their hand. We don't want to be chasing too many. At some points of the day I was thinking literally it could be a one-day game.

"At one point it wasn't quite as easy to bat on but I think with all the wet weather around lately the groundsman has done well to keep the pitch hard underneath so it felt like if you do miss as a bowler and you get an opportunity to score, it was there to score runs."