Sussex emerged from an absorbing day of cut-and-thrust with a clear advantage over Middlesex despite another ignominious batting collapse.

Ian Ward and Murray Goodwin's record third-wicket stand of 222 should have given Sussex the impetus to bat their opponents out of a game both need to win for different reasons.

But from 270-2, they somehow conspired to lose seven first innings wickets for 21 runs as they subsided to 314 all out.

Mohammad Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed then stpped forward to limit the damage and wrest back the initiative on a day when 16 wickets fell on a blameless pitch.

Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed picked up three apiece and James Kirtley two as Middlesex reached 195-8 in reply, still 119 runs behind.

Sussex will have been happy with their day's work. They will also be relieved that when the return match takes place at Hove next month Glenn McGrath will not be leading Middlesex's attack.

The Australian was finally rewarded for a superb spell of fast-medium bowling when he took three of the last four wickets to finish with 3-44 from 28.2 overs including 15 maidens.

Those figures scarcely did him justice. He conceded just 18 runs in three spells, but just as importantly for Middlesex his team-mates took the lead from their master to restrict Sussex's scoring to a trickle.

They managed just 54 runs from 33.5 overs in the morning session and lost four wickets in the process. There was not much hope for Sussex's elongated tail when McGrath took the new ball after lunch.

Murray Goodwin scrambled the single which took him to his first Championship hundred of the season and he went on to help Ian Ward establish a new third wicket record against Middlesex, beating the 217 by David Smith and Alan Wells at Hove in 1991.

But after hitting 11 fours and a six in his 105, Goodwin sliced a return catch to Paul Weekes and from 270-3 Sussex's innings went into a tailspin.

Simon Cook defeated Chris Adams with a nip-backer in his first over with the new ball, Matt Prior drove airily to point off Ben Hutton's innocuous seamers while Ward's superb six-and-a-hour vigil ended in the last over before lunch when he fell leg before to Mel Betts.

Ward felt the ball had pitched outside the line and a standing ovation from the egg-and-bacon tie brigade in the Lord's pavilion hardly improved his mood. His 148 contained 16 fours and a six from 312 balls.

There was no stopping McGrath after lunch.

Mark Davis nibbled fatally at one which held its line, Mushtaq succumbed to a beauty which pitched on middle stump and hit off while Jason Lewry was bowled trying to slog the Australian into the Mound Stand. Betts supported McGrath well at the other end and picked up a deserved third wicket when Kirtley edged to third slip.

Fortunately for Sussex, McGrath is not the only world-class bowler on view here and Mushtaq was soon weaving his spell.

James Kirtley and Akram had removed openers Sven Koenig and Ben Hutton in successive overs with the new ball, but Joyce and Owais Shah were taking the fight back to Sussex in a third wicket stand of 72 in 15 overs when Shah was deceived by Mushtaq's top-spinner just before tea.

The clatter of wickets continued after the interval. Akram's late inswing accounted for Jamie Dalrymple, David Nash succumbed to another of Mushtaq's quicker deliveries before Akram claimed the crucial wicket of the stylish Joyce.

The Irishman had been dropped on 15 and 31, but no one batted with more fluency or deciphered Mushtaq's variations as easily.

Bad light forced the players off for three overs, but immediately they returned Joyce tamely wafted a catch to Prior off Akram's loosener after hitting nine boundaries in his 69.

Simon Cook was soon caught in the deep slog-sweeping Mushtaq while the unfortunate Paul Weekes lost his middle stump to Kirtley. Weekes deserved some sympathy. He had ten stitches inserted in a cut below his left eye earlier in the day after being struck by the ball diving to take a slip catch.