Ben Stokes Secures 6 Scalps in English Test Series Warm-up

Practice match, Lilac Hill (first day of three)

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

National team: still to bat

The England captain achieved 6 scalps in his first action since July but the tourists faced an fitness worry involving Mark Wood on the opening day of their Ashes warm-up versus the development squad in Western Australia.

Stokes, making his comeback after nearly four months out with a shoulder injury, delivered 16 overs across three bowling spells for his 6-52 versus the Lions – each to catches on the leg side.

Pace bowler Mark Wood, himself returning after nine months out with a knee problem, delivered a scheduled amount of 8 overs before exiting the field in the afternoon session because of a hamstring issue. He will receive scanning on the following day.

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

England aimed to bowl first to get overs in their legs before the first Ashes Test at Optus Stadium, beginning on 21 November.

In a possible hint towards their opening Test strategy, the visiting team fielded an all-pace attack – four specialists plus the captain – and left off-spinner Shoaib Bashir in the Lions.

Jacob Bethell didn't strengthen his case for selection in the Test side, making only two, but Will Jacks boosted his credentials to be selected later in the tour by scoring eighty-four.

McKinney, Cox, 17-year-old Rew and Matthew Potts also scored half-centuries.

The team's plan to play a solitary warm-up game against the development squad has been questioned by some ex-players but the captain responded by calling the doubters "past players".

A relaxed first day in front of a small crowd of fans at the ground was definitely a different experience from what the team will encounter at a sold-out main stadium next week.

The captain was superb in the series against India in the home summer, only to push himself to injury. He was absent from the final Test with a torn shoulder.

The skipper has not managed a complete participation in any of the team's past four tours because of various injuries and the team's hopes of winning back the series are vastly diminished if he misses any of the five matches in the host country.

He has been practicing at full pace for two months and looked in good condition on the match day, 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 – the team look to have shown their hand with the XI named here. Nevertheless, he may have moved himself in front of the struggling Bethell with his eighty-four, which came at nearly run-a-ball pace.

Even before the concern over Wood, the five seamers in the England XI for this game may not have been the attack for the first Test.

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

Although the captain took the scalps, Archer impressed observers. He was lively with the fresh ball and once more after the interval, when he caused problems for Jacks.

In the absence of Bashir and with Mark Wood departing, Joe Root was required to bowl 14 overs of his spin bowling. It was average performance, conceding 117 at an run rate of more than eight.

Root at least took a scalp in the final session when Fisher unexpectedly struck a full toss to the fielder before Archer bounced out Potts for fifty-three with the final ball of the day.