Stokes Secures 6 Wickets in England Ashes Warm-up

Tour match, Lilac Hill (day one of 3)

Development squad 382: Jacks 84, McKinney 67; Ben Stokes 6-52

National team: still to bat

The England captain delivered 6 scalps in his initial appearance after July but England faced an injury concern regarding fast bowler Wood on the first day of their Ashes warm-up against England Lions in Perth.

The England captain, returning after nearly four months out with a shoulder injury, bowled 16 overs across three spells for his six for fifty-two against England Lions – each to catches taken on the on-side.

Pace bowler Mark Wood, himself returning after nine months away with a knee injury, delivered a pre-planned number of 8 overs before departing the field in the post-lunch session because of a hamstring problem. He will receive scanning on Friday.

The Wood situation drained the intensity out of the day, as the Lions were dismissed for three hundred eighty-two on a sluggish pitch after an uncontested toss at the venue.

England wanted to field first to accumulate bowling time before the first Ashes Test at the main venue, beginning on November 21st.

In a possible hint towards their first-Test plans, the tourists selected an fast bowling lineup – four specialist bowlers plus Stokes – and left spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in the Lions.

Bethell failed to press his case for selection in the Test team, making only two, but Jacks enhanced his credentials to be selected during the series by swiping 84.

McKinney, Jordan Cox, teenage Rew and Matthew Potts also scored fifties.

England's plan to play a solitary warm-up game against the development squad has been questioned by some ex-players but the captain hit back by calling the doubters "has-beens".

A relaxed opening day in front of a small crowd of spectators at the ground was definitely a world away from what England will face at a packed Optus Stadium next week.

Stokes was superb in the series against India in the domestic season, only to push himself to injury. He missed the last match with a shoulder tear.

The skipper has not completed a full part in any of the team's past four series because of various injuries and the tourists' hopes of regaining the series are vastly diminished if he is absent from any of the five Tests in Australia.

He has been practicing at full pace for 60 days and appeared in good condition on Wednesday, even if he could not comprehend the way in which some of his dismissals were presented.

Will Jacks is unlikely to feature in the first Test – the team look to have revealed their intentions with the XI selected here. Nevertheless, he may have moved himself in front of the struggling Bethell with his eighty-four, which came at nearly run-a-ball pace.

Prior to the concern over Mark Wood, the five seamers in the team lineup for this game may not have been the attack for the initial match.

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

Though the captain took the wickets, Archer caught the eye. He was energetic with the fresh ball and once more after the interval, when he discomforted Jacks.

In the omission of Bashir and with Mark Wood leaving the field, Joe Root was required to deliver fourteen overs of his off-spin. It was average performance, costing 117 at an run rate of more than eight.

Root at least took a wicket in the final session when Matt Fisher unexpectedly hit a full toss to mid-on before Jofra Archer dismissed with a bouncer Potts for fifty-three with the last delivery of the day.