Stokes stars with six wickets but Wood suffers injury scare in England warm-up match against Lions
WATCH – Stokes snaffles six on first day of warm-up match between England and the England Lions
Video credit: TNT Sports
England’s Ashes warm up match against the England Lions went very well on day one, with Ben Stokes impressing with the ball in taking six wickets.
The England captain showed impressive fitness in his first outing since injuring his shoulder in July, taking the first two wickets to fall in the opening session.He took two more before tea, with Jacob Bethell failing to press his selection case as he fell for just two runs.
Stokes then had Tom Lawes caught, before starring again by ending Will Jacks’ stubborn resistance – the latter going for an impressive 84 runs from 85 balls.
The Lions were eventually bowled out for 382, Jacks top scoring while Matthew Potts provided some late excitement as he smashed 53 off 41 balls.
Opener Ben McKinney put up the most resistance in the first two sessions, but was eventually caught by Jamie Smith off the bowling of Josh Tongue for 67.
Ben Stokes of England bowls during the practice match between England and the England Lions
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With Jofra Archer also getting through a decent spell, it was mostly news for England in terms of their bowling after they opted to field first.
Mark Wood also had his first run out since undergoing knee surgery back in February, the 35-year-old bowling eight overs before tea. But he was then taken for a precautionary scan after the ECB confirmed the quick bowler was experiencing some hamstring stiffness.
With the first Ashes Test looming, the match at Lilac Hill in Perth offered the English selectors a chance to see the form and fitness of most of their players, with the Lions taking the opportunity to test themselves against an English XI that looked close to full strength.
The opening Test begins on November 21, and is live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
For the Lions, Jordan Cox played well for his 53 before he was caught by Wood off Stokes, while Rehan Ahmed made 16 before falling to the England captain.
That left the Lions on 208-5 at tea, with Lawes and Jacks at the crease – but both fell to Stokes soon after the resumption.
Stokes finished the day with figures of 6-52 off his 16 overs, with three maidens at an economy of 3.25, while Archer, Atkinson, Tongue and Root all picked up one wicket apiece.
Swann issues Ashes mindset advice for Bashir
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Before the match began, the talk was all about Bethell versus Ollie Pope for the No. 3 slot, but the former did not impress in his short innings before being caught by Archer off Stokes.
As for the bowlers, Atkinson, Archer, Stokes and Wood are getting a run out for the England XI, while Brydon Carse and Potts will try and impress when the Lions get a bowl.
Root was the main spin option in the England XI side, while Ahmed will provide that duty for the Lions.
With Shoaib Bashir missing out on selection for the warm-up match full stop, it could point to an all-out seam attack for the opening Test, with Perth not always a kind pitch for the spinners.
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