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

It is tough to know how relevant of the English team's practice match will prove relevant when their Ashes campaign kicks off not far at the Perth venue on Friday – no distance in space or time but light years away in import and atmosphere – but if it accomplished nothing more than strengthening Pope's confidence, that alone has made the endeavor worthwhile.

The English side's number three batsman – that point is surely absolutely clear – built on his initial innings hundred by scoring an additional 90 in the second, and what was impressive was not merely the total of scored runs but the way in which they were accumulated. At times the young batsman seemed dominant, striking a twelve boundaries and a two of sixes, timing the ball beautifully but with aggressive determination.

This was merely a practice match against a Lions squad that used a total of 11 pitchers throughout a game staged in front of a few dozen of people in a public park, but it was nonetheless very noteworthy. Officially, the England team, chasing of 202 once the Lions closed their second innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand once Jamie Smith sped the team past the winning target with a stream of boundaries.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the two other big first-innings' successes, both failed in the follow-up, while Joe Root added additional runs – 31 on this occasion – but was far from more assured, before being puzzled and accordingly bowled by Will Jacks. Brook suffered an identical fate a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the game having bowled 12 overs for each side – will have faced a portion of the batting he bowled to rather aggressive. His initial six deliveries against the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not exactly wayward was surely far from threatening.

At the end the sixth of those overs, England's three other pitchers had given away almost precisely the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a little less giving in time, conceding 27 from his remaining six. He claimed a single wicket, holding a clever, low grab, leaning to his right, to conclude Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Bethell, making up for scoring just a small score in the first innings, was a member of a trio of half-centurions in the Lions team's leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's scores from opener were steadier than the scores of their No 3: he scored 66 in their first innings and improved by two in their second, facing 61 balls to reach his fifty, with five and two sixes, each off Bashir's's pitching. Jacob Bethell reached 68 before a mishit to Stokes at cover, who held a stooping catch at low down.

Cox displayed similar consistency, and backed up his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at about a run per delivery. He played several remarkably beautiful hits en route, featuring a drive down the ground and a pull off consecutive Brydon Carse deliveries to attain his 50 runs.

Having missed the initial day of this game with a stomach issue and contributed just the least significant of inputs to the follow-up, Carse bowled brilliantly when eventually afforded the chance, with McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three scalps.

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