Wood injury scare as England's Stokes takes six on bowling comeback

Ben Stokes took six wickets on Thursday in his first game since July but, in a scare, pace spearhead Mark Wood complained of hamstring stiffness during England's only warm-up game before the first Ashes test against Australia.

England captain Stokes had not played since hurting his shoulder against India, but put any fitness concerns to bed against the second-tier England Lions in Perth.

He ended day one of a low-key three-day clash at Lilac Hill with 6-52, while Will Jacks (84) and Ben McKinney (67) impressed with the bat as the Lions made 382.

England dropped a heavy hint of their plans for the opening test in Perth next week by selecting an all-pace attack, omitting spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Wood returned after almost nine months on the sidelines following knee surgery and got through eight overs before leaving the field with stiffness in his left hamstring.

"The plan for Mark Wood was for him to bowl eight overs today," said the England Cricket Board.

"He has some stiffness in his left hamstring which kept him off the field for some time during the second session of the first day and will undergo a precautionary scan tomorrow.

"He is expected to bowl again in two days' time."

The injury-prone Jofra Archer sent down 12.3 overs in an attack that also boasted speedsters Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson.

Fellow quick Brydon Carse was unwell and remained at the team hotel.

Ollie Pope got the nod to bat at No 3 for England and saw off the challenge of Jacob Bethell, who did little to further his case by making just two before becoming one of Stokes' victims.

The clash is England's only red-ball warm-up ahead of the five-test series in a strategy criticised by former greats, including Ian Botham and Geoffrey Boycott.

Stokes defended their preparations on Wednesday, saying the modern cricket schedule was "jam-packed" and the team's options were limited.