Stokes Secures 6 Wickets in England Test Series Warm-up

Tour game, Perth venue (day one of three)

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

England XI: yet to bat

Ben Stokes produced six wickets in his return to play since July but the tourists faced an fitness worry about Mark Wood on the opening day of their Test preparation versus England Lions in Perth.

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

Fast bowler Wood, also making his comeback after nine months out with a knee injury, bowled a scheduled amount of eight overs before exiting the field in the post-lunch session because of a hamstring issue. He will receive scanning on the following day.

The Wood situation drained the energy out of the day, as the England Lions were bowled out for 382 on a sluggish pitch after an automatic toss at Lilac Hill.

The tourists aimed to bowl first to get overs in their legs before the initial Test match at the main venue, starting on 21 November.

In a potential indication towards their opening Test strategy, the visiting team fielded an all-pace attack – four specialist bowlers plus the captain – and left spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in the Lions.

Bethell failed to press his case for inclusion in the Test side, making only two, but Will Jacks enhanced his credentials to be called upon later in the tour by hitting eighty-four.

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

England's decision to play a single warm-up game against the development squad has been questioned by some ex-players but Stokes responded by calling the critics "has-beens".

A relaxed opening day in front of a smattering of fans at Lilac Hill was definitely a different experience from what England will encounter at a packed Optus Stadium next week.

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

The captain has not completed a full part in any of the team's previous four series because of various injuries and the tourists' chances of regaining the series 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 60 days and looked in fine shape on Wednesday, even if he could not comprehend the way in which some of his wickets were presented.

Jacks is unlikely to play in the opening match – the team look to have revealed their hand with the XI selected here. Still, he may have nudged himself ahead of the struggling Bethell with his eighty-four, which came at almost a run a ball.

Even before the concern over Wood, the five seamers in the England XI for this game may not have been the bowling unit for the initial match.

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

Although Stokes took the wickets, Archer caught the eye. He was energetic with the fresh ball and once more after lunch, when he discomforted Will Jacks.

In the absence of Bashir and with 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 claimed a wicket in the final session when Fisher somehow struck a full delivery to the fielder before Jofra Archer dismissed with a bouncer Potts for fifty-three with the final ball of the day.