Ollie Pope Strengthens Claim to England's No 3 Spot with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It's difficult to know how relevant of the English team's preparatory fixture will be remotely important when their Ashes contest kicks off not far at Perth Stadium on Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but worlds away in importance and atmosphere – but if it managed solely boosting Ollie Pope's confidence, that by itself has made the exercise worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – this fact is certainly totally established – followed his first-innings century by adding another 90 in the second innings, and the most impressive was less about the total of scored runs but the manner in which they were accumulated. At times the young batsman appeared imperious, hitting a dozen boundaries and a couple of sixes, timing the ball sweetly but with devilish determination.

It was just a practice match versus a Lions squad that deployed a total of 11 pitchers throughout a game played in amid a few dozen of people in a public park, but it was nonetheless extremely noteworthy. For the record, the England team, needing of 202 after the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets in hand when Smith hurried the team past the conclusion with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two significant first-innings performers, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Root added additional points – 31 on this instance – but was far from more dominant, prior to being confused and duly bowled by Jacks. Brook met an similar fate soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the match having bowled 12 overs for either team – will have encountered some of the batting he confronted quite hostile. His opening six deliveries versus the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to deliveries that if not completely loose was certainly not very intimidating.

After the sixth over of those deliveries, the English side's other bowlers had given away nearly exactly the same total of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a somewhat less giving in time, conceding 27 from his last six. He secured a single wicket, making a clever, low grab, diving to his right, to finish Bethell's innings for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, making up for managing only three runs in the opening knock, was one of three players half-centurions in the Lions' top four. McKinney's scores from opening batsman were more reliable than those of their number three: he scored 66 in their first innings and went two better in their second, facing 61 balls over his 50 runs, with five fours and two sixes, the pair off Bashir's's deliveries. Bethell reached 68 then a poor shot to Stokes at cover, who made a stooping catch at low down.

Cox showed comparable reliability, and followed his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at slightly more than a run a ball. He produced several exceptionally beautiful strokes on the way, such as a straight drive and a hook from back-to-back Carse balls to attain his fifty.

After missing the initial day of this match with a stomach upset and made just the most minor of inputs to the second, Brydon Carse bowled brilliantly when eventually provided the chance, with McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

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