Ben Stokes Claims 6 Wickets in England Ashes Warm-up

Tour match, Lilac Hill (day one of three)

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

England XI: yet to bat

Ben Stokes delivered 6 scalps in his initial appearance following July but England encountered an injury concern involving fast bowler Wood on the first day of their Ashes warm-up against the development squad in Perth.

Stokes, returning after almost four months out with a shoulder problem, bowled 16 overs across three spells for his 6-52 versus England Lions – all to catches taken on the on-side.

Fast bowler Wood, also making his comeback after 9 months out with a knee injury, bowled a scheduled amount of eight overs before departing the field in the afternoon session because of a hamstring problem. He will receive scanning on the following day.

The Wood situation removed the intensity out of the day, as the Lions were dismissed for 382 on a sluggish pitch after an uncontested toss at the venue.

The tourists aimed to bowl first to build bowling fitness before the first Ashes Test at Optus Stadium, beginning on 21 November.

In a possible hint towards their first-Test plans, 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 claim for selection in the Test side, making only two, but Will Jacks boosted his claim to be called upon later in the tour by scoring eighty-four.

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

The team's plan to play a solitary practice match against the development squad has been questioned by some former players but Stokes responded by calling the critics "has-beens".

A relaxed first day in front of a small crowd of spectators at the ground was certainly a different experience from what England will encounter at a packed main stadium the following week.

Stokes was superb in the contest against India in the domestic season, only to push himself to injury. He missed the final Test with a torn shoulder.

The skipper has not completed a complete participation in any of the team's previous four series because of different fitness issues and the tourists' chances of regaining the Ashes 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 good condition on Wednesday, even if he could not comprehend the way in which some of his wickets were gifted.

Jacks is unlikely to play in the first Test – the team look to have shown their intentions with the XI selected here. Still, he may have nudged himself in front of the out-of-sorts Jacob Bethell with his eighty-four, which came at nearly run-a-ball pace.

Even before the doubt over Mark Wood, the five seamers in the England XI for this game may not have been the attack for the initial match.

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

Though Stokes took the scalps, Jofra Archer impressed observers. He was energetic with the new ball and once more after the interval, when he discomforted Jacks.

In the omission of Shoaib Bashir and with Mark Wood departing, Root was required to deliver fourteen overs of his spin bowling. It was average performance, conceding 117 at an run rate of more than eight.

Joe Root at least claimed a wicket in the closing stages when Matt Fisher somehow hit a full delivery to the fielder before Archer bounced out Potts for 53 with the final ball of the day.