Ollie Pope Strengthens Status to England Cricket's No 3 Slot with Impressive 90 Versus Lions

It's difficult to gauge how relevant of the English team's preparatory match will prove important when their Ashes battle begins a short distance away at the Perth venue on Friday – a short span in geography or duration but ages away in import and atmosphere – but if it achieved nothing more than boosting Ollie Pope's confidence, that by itself has made the effort beneficial.

England's No 3 – this fact is certainly totally clear – built on his first-innings century by adding another 90 in the second innings, and the truly remarkable was less about the total of runs but the manner in which they were scored. On occasion the 27-year-old appeared imperious, striking a dozen boundaries and a two of sixes, connecting with the ball perfectly but with devilish purpose.

It was just a exhibition game versus a Lions squad that deployed fully 11 bowlers across a contest held in amid a small group of spectators in a open field, but it was nevertheless very impressive. To note, the England team, set a target of 202 once the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand when Jamie Smith raced the team across the finish line with a series of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the two other significant first-innings performers, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Root scored several more points – 31 on this occasion – but was not significantly more assured, then being confused and accordingly out by Jacks. Brook suffered an similar fate a little later.

Bashir – who concluded the match having delivered 12 overs for each side – will have encountered part of the strokes he bowled to rather aggressive. His initial six overs versus the Lions went for 56, with McKinney feasting to deliveries that if not entirely poor was definitely far from dangerous.

At the end the sixth of those deliveries, the English side's remaining three pitchers had given away almost precisely the same number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a somewhat less generous in time, conceding 27 from his last six. He claimed one dismissal, holding a sharp, low grab, leaning to his right side, to conclude Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for scoring just a small score in the first innings, was one of three players with fifties in the Lions' leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's performances from opening batsman were steadier than those of their number three: he notched 66 in their initial knock and improved by two in their follow-up, using 61 deliveries to reach his fifty, with five boundaries and two maximums, the pair off Bashir's's deliveries. Bethell reached 68 then a mis-hit to Stokes at cover, who took a bending grab at low down.

Jordan Cox showed comparable reliability, and backed up his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at just over a run a ball. He played a few outstandingly elegant strokes on the way, including a drive down the ground and a pull from back-to-back Carse balls to attain his half century.

Having missed the opening day of this fixture with a stomach issue and provided only the least significant of contributions to the second day, Brydon Carse pitched excellently when eventually afforded the opportunity, with McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three wickets.

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