Pope Reinforces Status to England Cricket's No 3 Role with Bold 90 Against Lions

It's hard to determine how relevant of England's warm-up game will end up being meaningful when their Ashes contest starts not far at Perth Stadium on Friday – a brief gap in space or time but worlds away in significance and atmosphere – but if it achieved solely boosting Ollie Pope's self-belief, that alone has made the effort beneficial.

England's number three batsman – that much is surely absolutely certain – followed his initial innings century by scoring another 90 in the second, and the truly remarkable was less about the quantity of scored runs but the manner in which they were scored. Periodically the 27-year-old looked commanding, smashing a twelve fours and a pair of maximums, timing the ball sweetly but with fierce determination.

This was merely a practice match versus a England Lions side that employed fully 11 bowlers across a match held in before a small group of spectators in a public park, but it was nevertheless very impressive. To note, the England team, set a target of 202 once the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets once Jamie Smith raced the team across the conclusion with a series of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the two other significant first-innings' successes, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Joe Root made additional points – 31 on this instance – but was not significantly more assured, prior to being confused and subsequently bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook met an identical fate shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the game having delivered 12 overs for either team – will have encountered part of the batting he faced rather aggressive. His opening six deliveries versus the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney tucking in to bowling that if not entirely poor was certainly not overly threatening.

At the end the sixth of that period, England's other bowlers had conceded roughly the equivalent total of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir turned a somewhat less generous in time, allowing 27 from his remaining six. He claimed a single wicket, making a sharp, low-down grab, falling to his right side, to finish Jacob Bethell's batting stint for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Bethell, compensating for managing just a small score in the first innings, was among three players with fifties in the Lions' leading batsmen. McKinney's performances from opening batsman were more consistent than those from their number three: he made 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their second, facing 61 deliveries to reach his half-century, with five and a couple six-hit shots, each against Bashir's pitching. Jacob Bethell made 68 before a poor shot to Stokes at cover position, who held a stooping catch at shin level.

Jordan Cox showed similar reliability, and backed up his first-innings 53 with another 57, at slightly more than a run per delivery. There were some outstandingly elegant shots on the way, including a straight hit and a hook against back-to-back Brydon Carse balls to attain his fifty.

Having missed the initial day of this match with a stomach upset and made only the least significant of efforts to the second, Brydon Carse bowled brilliantly when eventually afforded the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Cox among his three scalps.

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