Steven Finn took 4 for 41 to spearhead a second day Middlesex thrust with the ball as Somerset slipped to 185 for eight in their LV= County Championship Division One match at Merchant Taylors’ School, Northwood.

Marcus Trescothick and Tom Abell had put on a battling 76 for the first wicket in reply to Middlesex’s 283, but Finn took two of four wickets to fall for 41 runs as Somerset suddenly found themselves struggling at 117 for four.

Peter Trego was then leg-before to Ollie Rayner for 15, just before heavy rain arrived to drive the players from the field at 3.33pm for an early tea. Jim Allenby, hit under the throat by a short ball from Toby Roland-Jones when 28, fought hard to score 43 before becoming Finn’s fourth victim as he edged low to Rayner at second slip.

Finn said afterwards: “It is nice to be playing my first four-day game for quite a while and nice to get a few wickets and help to put us into a good position in the match. It’s a good wicket for bowling on, and there has been something there right through the game so far.

“It’s important to get some overs under my belt, just in case something happens this week and I am needed to play in the second Test.

"I’m looking forward to joining up with the rest of the England squad on Tuesday and it is really exciting to be selected in the squad again. The Test team played some great cricket to win the first Test.

“I wouldn’t want it to be an injury to one of the other bowlers that got me back in the Test side. I’d rather get back in on merit but, overall, it would mean a lot to me to get to wear an England shirt again in a Test match.

"It has been two years since my last Test appearance, against Australia in 2013, and I think I’ve learned a few more skills since then. I’ve got a bit wiser, too, and I think I’m a more consistent and better bowler than I was two years ago.”

The paceman is due to be replaced in this match by James Harris when he joins up with England’s squad ahead of the second Ashes Test, but he clearly wanted to make a mark before his departure. His third wicket was that of Lewis Gregory, caught at the wicket for 11 soon after a restart at 5.05pm, and he also had Michael Bates dropped on nought by James Franklin at first slip.

There was another break of half an hour from 5.37pm as more rain arrived and only twenty minutes of further play was possible before bad light brought a close to proceedings with Middlesex firmly on top despite the loss of 25.3 overs in the day.

Running down the slope from the Benham End, Finn first forced Abell to feather a catch behind on 26 and, after Tim Murtagh had induced a thick edge to the keeper by Johann Myburgh, on 1, the England fast bowler produced another beauty to bowl James Hildreth for 4.

Trescothick’s determined three-hour 52, from 124 balls, was finally ended by Roland-Jones, who swung one into the left-hander’s pads to have him leg-before.

Finn had been a handful for Somerset’s openers in the morning session, striking both Trescothick and Abell on the arm and hand respectively during a fierce new ball spell.

Somerset had started their reply this morning, after taking the final Middlesex first innings wicket in the closing overs last night, and Finn hit Abell early on and Trescothick when he was on 16.

The cricket was so attritional that Abell’s first boundary did not come until the last over of the morning session, the 29th, when he cut off spinner Rayner’s first ball to the third man ropes. It was the 77th ball he had faced.

Murtagh, with 2 for 51, removed Abdur Rehman just before the end of play, caught in the slips for 4.