Ben Stokes Secures Six Wickets in English Ashes Preparation Match

Practice game, Perth venue (day one of 3)

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

National team: awaiting batting

The England captain delivered 6 scalps in his first action since July but England faced an fitness worry regarding Mark Wood on the opening day of their Ashes warm-up against the development squad in Perth.

The England captain, returning after approximately four months away with a shoulder injury, delivered sixteen overs across three bowling spells for his six for fifty-two against the Lions – each to catches taken on the on-side.

Fast bowler Wood, also making his comeback after 9 months away with a knee problem, bowled a pre-planned number of eight overs before departing the field in the afternoon session because of a hamstring problem. He will undergo scanning on Friday.

Wood's injury drained the energy out of the day, as the Lions were dismissed for three hundred eighty-two on a slow, low surface after an uncontested toss at Lilac Hill.

The tourists aimed to bowl first to accumulate bowling time before the first Ashes Test at Optus Stadium, starting 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 left spin bowler Shoaib Bashir in the development squad.

Jacob Bethell failed to press his claim for inclusion in the Test team, making only two, but Jacks enhanced his credentials to be selected later in the tour by scoring eighty-four.

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

England's plan to play a solitary warm-up game against the development squad has been criticized by some former players but Stokes responded by calling the critics "has-beens".

A low-pressure opening day in front of a small crowd of spectators at the ground was definitely a different experience from what the team will face at a packed Optus Stadium next week.

Stokes was excellent 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 managed a full part in any of the team's previous four series because of various injuries and the tourists' hopes of regaining the series are vastly diminished if he is absent from any of the five Tests in the host country.

He has been practicing at full pace for 60 days and appeared in fine shape on Wednesday, even if he could not believe the way in which some of his dismissals were gifted.

Jacks is not expected to feature in the opening match – the team look to have shown their intentions with the eleven selected here. Still, he may have moved himself in front of the out-of-sorts Jacob Bethell with his eighty-four, which came at almost a run a ball.

Prior to the doubt over Wood, the five seamers in the team lineup for this match may not have been the attack for the initial match.

Carse missed the first day because of illness, with his position going to Tongue. Tongue had opening batsman McKinney caught behind just after the break.

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

In the omission of Shoaib Bashir and with Wood departing, Joe Root was required to deliver 14 overs of his off-spin. It was average performance, conceding 117 at an economy of over eight.

Root at least claimed a wicket in the final session when Fisher somehow hit a full delivery to mid-on before Archer bounced out Matthew Potts for fifty-three with the last delivery of the day.