HEARD the one about the Cornishman, the Queenslander and the son of a Pakistani retirement home manager from Copenhagen?

That was the story of a bizarre first day of Lancashire's Championship match against Kent in Liverpool, as Ryan Driver and Stuart Law led Lancashire's fightback against a five-wicket haul from the unlikely-sounding

Dane Amjad Khan.

Khan, who grew up watching cricket videos after his parents moved from Pakistan to Europe, took the first three wickets as Lancashire slumped to 40 for four after Warren Hegg had won the toss and chosen to bat.

But Driver and Law then linked up in a fifth wicket stand of 99 which was easily the biggest as Lancashire posted a total of 226.

Law made 75, taking him past 500 Championship runs in his 10th innings since joining Lancashire from Essex this season, until he was deceived into chipping a return catch to former Manchester University student Min Patel.

But it was Driver whose performance was the real bonus for Lancashire.

The 23-year-old from Truro had not played in the first team at all this season until last Sunday's National League defeat at Derby.

But his handy all-round performance there persuaded Hegg and manager Mike Watkinson to keep him in the Championship team.

And he responded by stroking 56 from 66 balls, then taking the wicket of Kent's Aussie all-rounder Andrew Symonds with his first ball.

Driver joined Lancashire from Worcestershire as an opening batsman last season, but he is relishing his new role as an all-rounder.

"We've decided that I'm not an opener and I'm more suited to batting in the middle order, and that suits me much better," he said.

"I've done a lot of work on my bowling since I came to Lancashire and it seems to be paying off."

The only disappointment for Driver was the way he was out, ducking for cover from a slower ball from Khan which ended up hitting the bottom of his off stump.

"I lost it completely," he said. "For some reason the sightscreens are smaller at the River End than the Pavilion End, and the ball just came out of the bushes."

Khan ended with five for 76, but with Glen Chapple taking two wickets in a good opening spell, Kent resumed today on 102 for four.