Stokes Secures Six Scalps in English Ashes Warm-up

Tour game, Lilac Hill (first day of three)

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

England XI: awaiting batting

The England captain achieved 6 scalps in his first action after July but the tourists faced an injury concern about Mark Wood on the opening day of their Ashes warm-up against the development squad in Western Australia.

Stokes, making his comeback after nearly four months away with a shoulder problem, delivered 16 overs across three bowling spells for his six for fifty-two against England Lions – all to catches taken on the on-side.

Pace bowler Wood, also making his comeback after 9 months out with a knee problem, bowled a scheduled amount of 8 overs before exiting the field in the post-lunch session because of a hamstring issue. He will undergo scanning on Friday.

The Wood situation removed the energy out of the day, as the Lions were dismissed for three hundred eighty-two on a sluggish pitch after an automatic toss at Lilac Hill.

England aimed to field first to get overs in their legs before the first Ashes Test at the main venue, beginning on November 21st.

In a potential indication towards their first-Test plans, 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 selection in the Test team, making just two runs, but Will Jacks boosted his claim to be selected later in the tour by hitting 84.

Ben McKinney, Jordan Cox, teenage Thomas Rew and Potts also scored half-centuries.

England's plan to play a single warm-up game against the Lions has been criticized by some former players but Stokes responded by calling the critics "past players".

A relaxed first day in front of a small crowd of fans at Lilac Hill was definitely a world away from what England will encounter at a packed Optus Stadium next week.

Stokes was superb in the contest against the Indian team in the domestic season, only to strain himself to breaking point. He missed the last match with a torn shoulder.

The captain has not managed a full part in any of the team's previous four tours because of various injuries and the team's hopes of winning back the Ashes are vastly diminished if he misses any of the five matches in the host country.

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

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

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

Brydon Carse was absent from the first day because of sickness, with his position going to Tongue. Tongue had Lions opener McKinney caught behind just after the break.

Though the captain took the wickets, Jofra Archer caught the eye. He was lively with the new ball and once more after the interval, when he caused problems for Will Jacks.

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

Root at least took a wicket in the final session when Matt Fisher somehow struck a full toss to mid-on before Archer bounced out Matthew Potts for fifty-three with the final ball of the day.