Ollie Pope Cements Status to England Cricket's No 3 Slot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It's hard to determine how relevant of the English team's practice game will prove important when their Ashes series battle kicks off not far at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a short span in space or time but worlds away in import and atmosphere – but if it accomplished only strengthening Ollie Pope's self-belief, that on its own has rendered the effort valuable.

England's No 3 – that point is certainly completely certain – followed his first-innings century by adding an additional 90 in the second innings, and what was notable was less about the number of runs but the style in which they were scored. Periodically the young batsman appeared imperious, smashing a dozen boundaries and a couple of sixes, hitting the ball sweetly but with devilish intent.

This was only a friendly versus a Lions team that employed a total of 11 bowlers during a contest held in before a handful of spectators in a open field, but it was nevertheless very noteworthy. To note, the England team, chasing of 202 after the Lions closed their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand once Smith hurried the team across the finish line with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the remaining significant first-innings successes, both failed in the second innings, while Root scored several more runs – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more assured, then being confused and accordingly bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an similar outcome shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the match having bowled 12 overs for both teams – will have faced part of the strokes he faced pretty hostile. His opening six overs against the Lions cost 56, with McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not exactly loose was surely not overly dangerous.

After the sixth spell of those overs, the English side's other pitchers had conceded roughly the equivalent number of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir grew a slightly less generous as time passed, giving up 27 from his remaining six. He claimed one wicket, taking a sharp, low catch, falling to his right, to conclude Bethell's batting stint for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for achieving only three runs in the initial innings, was among three half-centurions in the Lions team's leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's returns from opener were more reliable than the scores of their No 3: he made 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their second, taking 61 deliveries to reach his fifty, with five and two sixes, each from Bashir's's bowling. Jacob Bethell reached 68 before a poor shot to Stokes at cover, who made a low catch at shin level.

Cox showed like consistency, and built on his first-innings 53 with an additional 57, at slightly more than a scoring rate of one. He produced several exceptionally handsome hits en route, such as a straight drive and a hook against consecutive Brydon Carse balls to attain his 50 runs.

Following his absence from the opening day of this match with a stomach issue and contributed just the least significant of inputs to the second day, Carse delivered excellently when at last provided the shot, with Ben McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

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