The Ashes: England train in Perth as Ben Stokes looks to build match fitness ahead of series opener

England captain Ben Stokes failed to test out his bowling prowess as the tourists began their Ashes preparation in Perth on Wednesday.

Stokes batted at Lilac Hill less than 24 hours after touching down in WA ahead of the highly-anticipated first Test at Optus Stadium, beginning on November 21.

But the star all-rounder didn’t have ball in hand as he continues his comeback from a significant shoulder injury he sustained in the English summer that forced him to miss the end of the Test series against India in July.

Stokes has not played at any level since, but looked fluent as he batted for close to an hour in mild conditions on Wednesday.

Opener Ben Duckett also batted well against fast bowlers Mark Wood, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson, as well as five-Test leg spinner Rehan Ahmed.

Injury-prone quick Jofra Archer was not part of the session despite touching down in Perth earlier this week.

Wood had his left knee heavily strapped as he returns from serious surgery in March but looked untroubled as he bowled off a near full run-up.

The 35-year-old has not played Test cricket in more than a year but is capable of troubling the Australian batters with his extreme pace that often exceeds the 150km/h mark.

Wood’s exciting return at Headingley in the 2023 Ashes changed the course of the series, with Australia leading 2-0 heading into the Test.

His seven wickets for the match led to an England win and he finished with 14 wickets in three matches at an average of 20.

Other England players are set to join the squad in WA over the coming days as they ramp up training for the five-Test series.