Stokes Secures Six Wickets in English Test Series Preparation Match

Tour game, Perth venue (day one of 3)

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

England XI: yet to bat

The England captain delivered 6 scalps in his initial appearance after July but the tourists faced an injury concern involving fast bowler Wood on the first day of their Test preparation against the development squad in Western Australia.

The England captain, making his comeback after approximately four months out with a shoulder problem, bowled 16 overs across three spells for his 6-52 against England Lions – all to catches on the on-side.

Pace bowler Wood, himself returning after nine months away with a knee problem, delivered a pre-planned number of 8 overs before exiting the field in the afternoon session because of a hamstring problem. He will receive scanning on the following day.

The Wood situation drained the energy out of the day, as the Lions were dismissed for 382 on a slow, low surface after an automatic toss at the venue.

The tourists aimed to field first to get overs in their legs 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 fast bowling lineup – four specialist bowlers plus Stokes – and omitted off-spinner Shoaib Bashir in the Lions.

Bethell failed to press his case for inclusion in the Test side, making only two, but Jacks boosted his credentials to be selected during the series by swiping eighty-four.

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

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

A low-pressure first day in front of a smattering of fans at Lilac Hill was certainly a different experience from what the team will encounter at a sold-out main stadium next week.

Stokes was superb in the contest against India in the home summer, only to strain himself to injury. He was absent from the final Test with a torn shoulder.

The captain has not managed a complete participation in any of England's past four series because of different fitness issues and the tourists' hopes of winning back the series are vastly diminished if he is absent from any of the five Tests in Australia.

He has been practicing at maximum speed for two months and appeared in fine shape on the match day, even if he could not believe the way in which some of his dismissals were gifted.

Will Jacks is not expected to feature in the opening match – the team look to have shown their intentions 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 concern over Mark Wood, the five seamers in the England XI for this game may not have been the attack for the first Test.

Carse missed the first day because of illness, with his position going to Tongue. Josh Tongue had opening batsman McKinney edging to the keeper just after lunch.

Although Stokes took the wickets, Archer impressed observers. He was lively with the fresh ball and once more after lunch, when he discomforted Will Jacks.

In the omission of Shoaib Bashir and with Wood leaving the field, Root was asked to deliver fourteen overs of his off-spin. It was average performance, conceding 117 runs at an run rate of over eight.

Joe Root at least claimed a wicket in the final session when Fisher somehow struck a full delivery to the fielder before Archer dismissed with a bouncer Matthew Potts for fifty-three with the last delivery of the day.