Stokes Secures 6 Wickets in English Test Series Warm-up

Tour match, Perth venue (first day of three)

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

National team: awaiting batting

The England captain achieved six wickets in his initial appearance after July but England faced an fitness worry regarding Mark Wood on the opening day of their Test preparation against England Lions in Western Australia.

The England captain, making his comeback after almost four months out with a shoulder injury, delivered sixteen overs across three spells for his six for fifty-two versus the Lions – each to catches taken on the leg side.

Fast bowler Wood, also making his comeback after 9 months out with a knee problem, bowled a pre-planned number of 8 overs before leaving the field in the post-lunch session because of a hamstring problem. He will receive scanning on the following day.

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

England wanted to bowl first to accumulate bowling time before the initial Test match at the main venue, beginning on November 21st.

In a potential indication towards their opening Test strategy, the tourists fielded an fast bowling lineup – four specialists plus the captain – and omitted spin bowler Bashir in the development squad.

Bethell failed to press his claim for selection in the Test team, making just two runs, but Jacks enhanced his claim to be called upon later in the tour by scoring eighty-four.

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

The team's decision to play a single warm-up game against the development squad has been criticized by some former players but the captain responded by calling the doubters "past players".

A relaxed first day in front of a small crowd of spectators at Lilac Hill was definitely a world away from what England will encounter at a sold-out main stadium next week.

The captain was excellent in the series against the Indian team in the home summer, only to strain himself to breaking point. He was absent from the last match with a torn shoulder.

The skipper has not completed a full part in any of England's previous four tours because of various injuries and the tourists' chances of regaining the series are significantly reduced if he misses any of the five Tests in the host country.

He has been bowling at maximum speed for 60 days and looked in fine shape on the match day, even if he could not believe the way in which some of his wickets were presented.

Will Jacks is not expected to feature in the first Test – the team look to have revealed their hand with the eleven selected here. Nevertheless, he may have moved himself ahead of the out-of-sorts Bethell with his eighty-four, which came at almost a run a ball.

Prior to the concern over Wood, the five seamers in the team lineup for this match may not have been the bowling unit for the first Test.

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

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

In the absence of Shoaib Bashir and with Wood departing, Root was required to deliver 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 closing stages when Matt Fisher unexpectedly struck a full delivery to mid-on before Jofra Archer dismissed with a bouncer Matthew Potts for fifty-three with the final ball of the day.