Stokes Secures 6 Wickets in England Test Series Preparation Match

Tour game, Lilac Hill (day one of three)

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

National team: still to bat

The England captain produced 6 scalps in his return to play since July but the tourists encountered an fitness worry about fast bowler Wood on the first day of their Test preparation versus the development squad in Perth.

Stokes, returning after almost four months away with a shoulder injury, delivered 16 overs across three bowling spells for his six for fifty-two versus England Lions – each to catches taken on the on-side.

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

Wood's injury sucked the intensity out of the day, as the Lions were bowled out for 382 on a sluggish pitch after an automatic toss at Lilac Hill.

England wanted to bowl first to get overs in their legs before the initial Test match at the main venue, starting on 21 November.

In a potential indication towards their opening Test strategy, the tourists selected an all-pace attack – four specialists plus Stokes – and left spin bowler Bashir in the development squad.

Jacob Bethell failed to press his case for selection in the Test side, making only two, but Jacks boosted his claim to be called upon later in the tour by scoring 84.

Ben McKinney, Jordan Cox, teenage Thomas Rew and Matthew Potts also scored fifties.

The team's plan to play a solitary practice match against the Lions has been criticized by some former players but the captain responded by calling the critics "has-beens".

A low-pressure opening day in front of a smattering of fans at Lilac Hill was certainly a world away from what England will encounter at a sold-out main stadium the following week.

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

The captain has not managed a full part in any of the team's past four tours because of different fitness issues and the team's chances of winning back the series are vastly diminished if he misses any of the five matches in the host country.

He has been bowling at full pace for 60 days and looked in fine shape on Wednesday, even if he could not comprehend the way in which some of his wickets were presented.

Will Jacks is unlikely to feature in the opening match – England look to have shown their intentions 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 concern over Mark Wood, the five seamers in the team lineup for this match may not have been the attack for the initial match.

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

Although 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 absence of Shoaib Bashir and with Wood leaving the field, Joe Root was required to bowl 14 overs of his spin bowling. It was average performance, costing 117 runs at an run rate of more than eight.

Root at least claimed a wicket in the closing stages when Matt Fisher somehow hit a full delivery to mid-on before Jofra Archer dismissed with a bouncer Matthew Potts for 53 with the last delivery of the day.