Stokes Takes 6 Wickets in English Ashes Warm-up

Tour game, Perth venue (first day of three)

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

National team: still to bat

The England captain delivered six wickets in his return to play after July but the tourists faced an fitness worry regarding fast bowler Wood on the opening day of their Test preparation versus the development squad in Perth.

Stokes, making his comeback after nearly four months out with a shoulder problem, bowled 16 overs across three spells for his 6-52 versus the Lions – each to catches taken on the leg side.

Pace bowler Mark Wood, also making his comeback after 9 months away with a knee injury, bowled a scheduled amount of 8 overs before departing the field in the post-lunch session because of a hamstring problem. He will receive scanning on the following day.

Wood's injury removed the intensity out of the day, as the England Lions were dismissed for three hundred eighty-two on a sluggish pitch after an uncontested toss at the venue.

England aimed to bowl first to accumulate bowling time before the first Ashes Test at the main venue, beginning on 21 November.

In a possible hint towards their first-Test plans, the visiting team fielded an all-pace attack – four specialists plus the captain – and omitted spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in the development squad.

Jacob Bethell failed to press his claim for inclusion in the Test team, making just two runs, but Jacks boosted his credentials to be selected during the series by scoring 84.

Ben McKinney, Jordan Cox, 17-year-old Rew and Potts also made fifties.

The team's decision to play a solitary practice match against the development squad has been questioned by some ex-players but the captain responded by labeling the critics "former players".

A low-pressure first day in front of a small crowd of spectators at the ground was certainly a world away from what England will face at a sold-out main stadium next week.

Stokes was superb in the contest against the Indian team in the domestic season, only to strain himself to injury. He was absent from the last match with a shoulder tear.

The skipper has not completed a complete participation in any of England's previous four series because of different fitness issues and the tourists' hopes of winning back the series are vastly diminished if he misses any of the five matches in Australia.

He has been practicing at full pace for two months and appeared in good condition on the match day, even if he could not believe the way in which some of his wickets were presented.

Will Jacks is unlikely to feature in the opening match – the team look to have shown their intentions with the XI selected here. Nevertheless, he may have moved himself ahead of the out-of-sorts Jacob Bethell with his eighty-four, which came at almost a run a ball.

Even before the concern over Mark Wood, the five fast bowlers in the team lineup for this game may not have been the bowling unit for the first Test.

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

Although Stokes took the wickets, Archer impressed observers. He was lively with the new ball and again after lunch, when he discomforted Jacks.

In the absence of Bashir and with Mark Wood leaving the field, Joe Root was asked to bowl 14 overs of his off-spin. It was mediocre fare, conceding 117 runs at an economy of more than eight.

Joe Root at least took a wicket in the closing stages when Matt Fisher somehow struck a full delivery to the fielder before Jofra Archer bounced out Potts for 53 with the final ball of the day.