England lost two Test lynchpins cheaply but had the significant consolation of confidence-boosting half-centuries for four others as they kickstarted their Ashes tour in Perth.

Alastair Cook went for a duck to the second ball of the two-day fixture against a Western Australia XI at the WACA - and, after winning the toss in glorious conditions, Joe Root could muster just nine off 22 balls.

But Cook's opening partner Mark Stoneman (85) and prospective Test number three James Vince (82) shared a second-wicket stand of 153.

Then middle-order hopefuls Dawid Malan (56) and Gary Ballance (51) also gave themselves a foothold on tour in a total of 349 for six.

The inexperienced home attack put in a patchy performance, serving up plenty of early four balls, and the hosts dropped five catches too.

But the bowling improved after lunch as fourth-change Aaron Hardie belatedly got his rewards with the wickets of Vince and Root in the same over.

Cook's tour got off to a false start when he edged behind on the back foot off Nathan Coulter-Nile, and he therefore has no runs from his last two innings in just three balls at this ground - dating back to his Test match golden duck against a rampant Ryan Harris four years ago.

Once Test hopeful Coulter-Nile's four-over new-ball spell was done, there was extra reason for Cook's regrets as the hosts unveiled a succession of raw seamers - and England's only other morning blip came when a direct-hit from cover would have run Vince out for only three.

It took until the eighth over for Stoneman to straight-drive the first boundary of England's tour, but soon he and Hampshire batsman Vince were feeding off regular loose deliveries.

The latter was especially strong off the back foot through the off-side but was dropped three times - on 47, 63 and 67 - twice at slip by Coulter-Nile off Hardie and Lance Morris, then from a fierce pull at Mark Turner.

By then he had posted his 50 from 64 balls, the same number taken by Stoneman, who was dropped at gully on 54 off Hardie.

Coulter-Nile had used eight bowling options before lunch, but it was only in the second session that the home attack began to click.

Morris had Stoneman edging an off-drive to slip, and then Hardie took two wickets in five balls.

Vince clipped one low to mid-wicket - and, after Malan got off the mark with an emphatic off-driven four first ball, Hardie had Root caught behind.

The England captain, who had been made to work hard for his runs, departed with a look of disbelief after the ball appeared to hit his back thigh pushing forward - and maybe took an edge too.

The scene was therefore set for a private 'bat-off' between number five aspirants Malan and Ballance - and neither did his prospects any harm in a century partnership before both retired out an hour before stumps.

Malan was the most convincing in his chanceless 50, while Ballance was dropped at slip off Hardie on 36 on his way to a 98-ball half-century which he completed with a lofted straight-drive for his sixth four off leg-spinner Kyle Gardner.