Pope Strengthens Position to England's No 3 Spot with Impressive 90 Against Lions

It's tough to know how much of the English team's practice game will prove relevant when their Ashes series contest kicks off not far at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but worlds away in importance and environment – but if it managed nothing more than enhancing Ollie Pope's confidence, that alone has made the effort worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – this fact is undoubtedly absolutely clear – followed his first-innings century by adding a further 90 in the second innings, and what was notable was not so much the total of runs but the style in which they were made. On occasion the young batsman seemed imperious, striking a twelve boundaries and a pair of sixes, connecting with the ball perfectly but with aggressive intent.

It was merely a exhibition game against a England Lions team that used a total of 11 pitchers during a game played in front of a small group of onlookers in a local ground, but it was still very praiseworthy. To note, the England team, set a target of 202 following the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets in hand when Smith hurried the team past the winning target with a series of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two major first-innings' successes, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Root scored further runs – 31 on this occasion – but was not significantly more assured, prior to being bemused and subsequently dismissed by Will Jacks. Brook met an similar outcome a little later.

Bashir – who ended the match having bowled 12 bowling spells for either team – will have found some of the hitting he faced rather aggressive. His initial six deliveries against the Lions conceded 56, with McKinney feasting to bowling that if not completely poor was definitely not overly intimidating.

By the conclusion the sixth spell of those overs, England's other bowlers had given away almost precisely the identical total of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a little less leaky later on, allowing 27 from his last six. He took a single wicket, taking a smart, diving catch, falling to his right side, to finish Bethell's knock for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for achieving only three in the first innings, was among three players fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top four. Ben McKinney's performances from opener were more consistent than those from their number three: he scored 66 in their initial knock and improved by two in their follow-up, using 61 balls to reach his fifty, with five and two maximums, the pair off Bashir's's deliveries. Bethell reached 68 before a mishit to Stokes at cover position, who held a bending catch at low down.

Cox exhibited similar steadiness, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at about a run a ball. There were some outstandingly elegant strokes en route, including a straight drive and a pull from successive Brydon Carse deliveries to achieve his 50 runs.

Having missed the first day of this game with a stomach upset and provided merely the least significant of inputs to the second day, Carse bowled excellently when eventually provided the shot, with McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three dismissals.

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