Ben Stokes Secures 6 Scalps in English Ashes Warm-up

Practice game, Perth venue (first day of three)

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

England XI: still to bat

The England captain achieved six wickets in his initial appearance after July but the tourists faced an injury concern about fast bowler Wood on the opening day of their Test preparation against the development squad in Western Australia.

Stokes, making his comeback after approximately four months out with a shoulder injury, delivered 16 overs across three spells for his 6-52 against the Lions – all to catches on the on-side.

Pace bowler Mark Wood, also making his comeback after 9 months out with a knee injury, delivered a pre-planned number of 8 overs before exiting the field in the post-lunch session because of a hamstring problem. He will have a scan on the following day.

Wood's injury sucked the energy out of the day, as the England Lions were bowled out for 382 on a slow track after an automatic toss at Lilac Hill.

The tourists wanted 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 opening Test strategy, the tourists selected an all-pace attack – four specialists plus Stokes – and omitted spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in the Lions.

Jacob Bethell failed to press his case for inclusion in the Test side, making just two runs, but Will Jacks boosted his claim to be called upon later in the tour by hitting eighty-four.

McKinney, Cox, teenage Thomas Rew and Matthew Potts also made fifties.

England's decision to play a solitary warm-up game against the development squad has been criticized by some former players but the captain hit back by labeling the critics "former players".

A relaxed opening day in front of a small crowd of spectators at the ground was definitely a different experience from what the team will encounter at a packed main stadium next week.

Stokes was excellent 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 captain has not managed a complete participation in any of England's past four tours because of various injuries and the team's chances of winning back the Ashes are significantly reduced if he is absent from any of the five Tests in Australia.

He has been bowling at full pace for two months and appeared in good condition on Wednesday, even if he could not comprehend the way in which some of his dismissals were gifted.

Jacks is unlikely to feature in the opening match – England look to have revealed their hand with the XI selected here. Still, he may have nudged himself ahead of the out-of-sorts Bethell with his eighty-four, which came at nearly run-a-ball pace.

Even before the doubt over Wood, the five fast bowlers in the team lineup for this game may not have been the bowling unit for the initial match.

Carse was absent from the opening day because of illness, with his place going to Josh Tongue. Tongue had Lions opener Ben McKinney caught behind just after lunch.

Though the captain took the scalps, Jofra Archer caught the eye. He was lively with the new ball and again after lunch, when he discomforted Will Jacks.

In the omission of Shoaib Bashir and with Mark Wood leaving the field, Root was asked to bowl fourteen overs of his spin bowling. It was average performance, costing 117 runs at an economy of over eight.

Joe Root at least took a wicket in the final session when Matt Fisher unexpectedly hit a full delivery to the fielder before Archer dismissed with a bouncer Matthew Potts for fifty-three with the final ball of the day.