England captain Ben Stokes announced his readiness for the Ashes with four wickets on the first day of their in-house warm-up against Andrew Flintoff ’s Lions.

Stokes has not played since July, when he tore a shoulder muscle against India, but proved he is firmly on track for the opening Test by leading the attack at Lilac Hill.

He took two wickets in each of the first two sessions as he claimed four for 45 in 12 overs, with Josh Tongue the only other bowler to strike as the second string reached 208 for five at tea.

Stokes has been subjected to a stream of barbs from the local media since touching down in Perth but offered a reminder of his threat, dismissing Tom Haines, Jacob Bethell , Jordan Cox and Rehan Ahmed in a pair of robust spells.

Bethell dragged a short ball to

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