Ryan McLaren took two wickets before bad light forced a premature end to the second day of Hampshire's Specsavers County Championship match against Middlesex at The Ageas Bowl.

But the all-rounder missed out on the scalp of Dawid Malan, whose unbeaten 40 led Middlesex to the close on 84-3 in reply to Hampshire's 336.

Left-hander Malan was put down by Will Smith at gully on 26, with Middlesex 61-3, after getting a thick outside edge against McLaren.

Middlesex had already lost Sam Robson, Nick Compton and Nick Gubbins before Smith dropped a sharp chance.

The former Durham captain sets high standards and his disappointment was evident.

But it was still a good effort with the ball by Hampshire, who lose their last three wickets for 21 runs - following an entertaining debut innings from Tino Best – after beginning day two on 315-7.

They lost Liam Dawson, Mason Crane and James Tomlinson in the first eight overs, with Best unbeaten on 23 (33 balls).

Dawson (89; 198 balls, nine fours) was denied a much-deserved century when he nicked a Steve Finn delivery at the end of the day's second over.

Crane and Tomlinson both went for ducks in successive overs, as Best ran out of partners after hitting two fours and a straight six against Tim Murtagh.

Best began his Hampshire career with a bouncer against Robson and bowled well in finishing with 0-8 from his four-over opening spell.

But it was his new-ball partner James Tomlinson, who struck first when Robson, the top flight’s leading run scorer going into the game, got a thick outside edge to point.

McLaren took the other wickets to fall. Nick Compton only managed a single from 26 deliveries before nicking a delivery that left him to first slip, where Jimmy Adams was deputising for the injured Sean Ervine.

Then Gubbins was caught down the leg side before Malan (40*) and John Simpson (5*) added 26 from the ten overs that remained before bad light ended play in mid-afternoon