Ben Stokes Secures Six Wickets in England Ashes Warm-up

Practice game, Perth venue (day one of 3)

England Lions 382: Will Jacks 84, Ben McKinney 67; Ben Stokes 6-52

England XI: awaiting batting

The England captain delivered six wickets in his first action following July but England faced an fitness worry regarding fast bowler Wood on the opening day of their Ashes warm-up versus the development squad in Western Australia.

The England captain, returning after almost four months out with a shoulder injury, bowled sixteen overs across three bowling spells for his 6-52 versus England Lions – each to catches on the on-side.

Fast bowler Mark Wood, also making his comeback after 9 months away with a knee injury, delivered a scheduled amount of 8 overs before leaving the field in the afternoon session because of a hamstring issue. He will undergo scanning on Friday.

The Wood situation drained the energy out of the day, as the England Lions were dismissed for three hundred eighty-two on a slow track after an automatic toss at Lilac Hill.

England aimed to bowl first to build bowling fitness before the first Ashes Test at Optus Stadium, starting on 21 November.

In a possible hint towards their opening Test strategy, the tourists fielded an fast bowling lineup – four specialist bowlers plus the captain – and omitted spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in the development squad.

Bethell failed to press his claim for selection in the Test side, making only two, but Will Jacks boosted his claim to be selected later in the tour by scoring eighty-four.

McKinney, Jordan Cox, 17-year-old Thomas Rew and Potts also scored fifties.

England's decision to play a solitary warm-up game against the Lions has been criticized by some ex-players but the captain responded by calling the doubters "former players".

A relaxed first day in front of a smattering of spectators at Lilac Hill was definitely a different experience from what England will face at a sold-out main stadium the following week.

Stokes was excellent in the contest against the Indian team in the home summer, only to push himself to injury. He missed the last match with a torn shoulder.

The captain has not managed a complete participation in any of the team's past four tours because of various injuries and the team's hopes of regaining the Ashes are vastly diminished if he is absent from any of the five matches in the host country.

He has been practicing at full pace for two months and looked in fine shape on Wednesday, even if he could not believe the way in which some of his dismissals were presented.

Will Jacks is unlikely to feature in the opening match – England look to have shown their intentions with the eleven named here. Nevertheless, he may have moved himself in front of the struggling Jacob Bethell with his 84, which came at nearly run-a-ball pace.

Prior to the doubt over Wood, the five seamers in the team lineup for this game may not have been the bowling unit for the first Test.

Brydon Carse missed the first day because of illness, with his position going to Josh Tongue. Tongue had Lions opener Ben McKinney edging to the keeper just after lunch.

Though the captain took the scalps, Archer caught the eye. He was lively with the new ball and once more after the interval, when he caused problems for Will Jacks.

In the absence of Shoaib Bashir and with Mark Wood departing, Root was required to deliver fourteen overs of his off-spin. It was mediocre fare, conceding 117 at an run rate of more than eight.

Root at least took a wicket in the closing stages when Matt Fisher somehow hit a full delivery to mid-on before Archer bounced out Potts for fifty-three with the last delivery of the day.