Ben Stokes Secures 6 Wickets in England Test Series Preparation Match

Practice game, Lilac Hill (first day of three)

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

National team: yet to bat

The England captain achieved 6 scalps in his first action following July but the tourists faced an injury concern involving Mark Wood on the first day of their Test preparation versus the development squad in Perth.

Stokes, returning after nearly four months out with a shoulder injury, delivered sixteen overs across three bowling spells for his 6-52 against England Lions – all to catches taken on the on-side.

Pace bowler Mark Wood, also making his comeback after nine months out with a knee injury, bowled a pre-planned number of 8 overs before leaving the field in the afternoon session because of a hamstring problem. He will receive scanning on the following day.

The Wood situation sucked the energy out of the day, as the Lions were bowled out for 382 on a slow, low surface after an automatic toss at Lilac Hill.

England wanted to field first to build bowling fitness before the first Ashes Test at Optus Stadium, beginning on 21 November.

In a possible hint towards their opening Test strategy, the tourists selected an all-pace attack – four specialists plus Stokes – and omitted off-spinner Shoaib Bashir in the Lions.

Bethell didn't strengthen his case for inclusion in the Test side, making just two runs, but Jacks enhanced his claim to be selected during the series by hitting eighty-four.

Ben McKinney, Cox, teenage Thomas Rew and Matthew Potts also scored half-centuries.

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

A relaxed first day in front of a small crowd of fans at the ground was certainly a different experience from what the team will encounter at a packed Optus Stadium next week.

Stokes was superb in the series against the Indian team in the home summer, only to strain himself to injury. He missed the last match with a torn shoulder.

The captain has not completed a full part in any of England's past four series because of different fitness issues and the tourists' hopes of winning back the series are significantly reduced if he is absent from any of the five Tests 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 dismissals were gifted.

Jacks is not expected to feature in the first Test – England look to have shown their intentions with the XI named here. Nevertheless, he may have moved himself ahead of the struggling Jacob Bethell with his 84, which came at almost a run a ball.

Even before 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 was absent from the opening day because of sickness, with his place going to Josh Tongue. Josh Tongue had opening batsman McKinney caught behind just after the break.

Though the captain took the scalps, Archer impressed observers. He was lively with the fresh ball and once more after the interval, when he discomforted Will Jacks.

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

Root at least claimed a scalp in the closing stages when Fisher unexpectedly struck a full delivery to mid-on before Jofra Archer bounced out Matthew Potts for 53 with the final ball of the day.