WAYNE Parnell led a superb Worcestershire fightback from 38-7 to even up a 15-wicket day one at fellow County Championship Division Two promotion hopefuls Lancashire.

The hosts' Jimmy Anderson recorded his 46th first-class haul of five wickets or more as Worcestershire slumped at Emirates Old Trafford.

But former South Africa bowling all-rounder Parnell’s 63 was at the heart of their recovery to 172 all out inside 59 overs before he returned 3-19 from 10.4 with the ball as Lancashire closed on 88-5 from 36.4.

Anderson claimed four of the seven wickets before lunch — the other three went to Graham Onions — and finished with 5-25 from 17 overs upon his return from a week out with a knee injury.

Seam rather than swing contributed to the morning wreckage under sunny skies.

Onions claimed the first two wickets — Daryl Mitchell (1) caught at first slip by Keaton Jennings and Tom Fell (3) lbw.

The latter came with the last ball of the eighth over before Anderson uprooted George Rhodes’ off-stump for one with the first ball of the ninth as the score slipped to 6-3.

Anderson then trapped Riki Wessels (6) and Callum Ferguson (8) lbw in the 11th and 15th overs to make it 21-5 before Onions bowled Ross Whiteley (10).

When Anderson had Ed Barnard caught at second slip by Liam Livingstone for a three-ball duck, Worcestershire were on 38-7 in the 19th.

Then came the recovery, led by Parnell, who came in at number nine and helped the score to 66-7 at lunch.

Further improvement followed with Ben Cox (32) and captain Joe Leach (36) contributing.

Wicketkeeper Cox, like Parnell, was circumspect in an eighth-wicket stand of 52 inside 17 overs either side of the break only to under-edge Richard Gleeson behind on 90-8 in the 36th.

Leach then counter-attacked with six fours in 36 balls, including three in one over from Gleeson, in a 61-run ninth-wicket partnership.

The Worcestershire skipper, playing only his second game back after nearly a year out with a back injury, fell caught behind off Anderson in the 49th over, leaving the score at 149-9.

Parnell reached his 50 off 108 balls with five fours and hit seven in 132 balls in all only to be bowled by Tom Bailey to wrap up the innings on the verge of tea.

With Australian Ashes hopeful Joe Burns departing, Jake Lehmann stepped in for Lancashire to become their third Australian overseas player in the first three games of the season.

Lehmann was then one of the five Red Rose wickets to fall after tea.

Leach had Jennings (3) well caught by Fell at fourth slip high to his left before Parnell had Lehmann (8) sharply caught at first slip by Wessels.

Charlie Morris then trapped Haseeb Hameed lbw for 29 before Parnell capped a memorable day when he had Rob Jones (25) caught by Mitchell at the second attempt at second slip and nightwatchman Anderson (4) lbw in his last two overs of the day.

The latter fell in the day’s final over.