Pope Reinforces Status to England Cricket's No 3 Spot with Strong 90 Against Lions

It's difficult to determine how relevant of the English team's practice fixture will prove meaningful when their Ashes campaign begins not far at the Perth venue on Friday – a short span in geography or duration but worlds away in significance and mood – but if it accomplished solely strengthening Ollie Pope's confidence, that by itself has made the effort beneficial.

The English side's No 3 – this fact is undoubtedly completely established – built on his initial innings century by adding another 90 in the second, and the truly remarkable was not merely the number of scored runs but the style in which they were accumulated. On occasion the 27-year-old looked dominant, striking a dozen fours and a pair of sixes, hitting the ball sweetly but with devilish purpose.

It was just a exhibition game against a England Lions team that used fully 11 pitchers across a contest played in before a handful of onlookers in a local ground, but it was nonetheless extremely praiseworthy. Officially, the England team, needing of 202 following the Lions closed their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets when Smith sped the team past the conclusion with a flurry of boundaries.

Crawley and Ben Duckett, the remaining major first-innings' performers, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Root added further runs – 31 on this instance – but was far from more assured, prior to being confused and accordingly dismissed by Will Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an same fate a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the match having delivered 12 bowling spells for each side – will have faced some of the batting he faced rather hostile. His opening six deliveries versus the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to deliveries that if not completely loose was certainly far from dangerous.

By the conclusion the sixth of that period, England's other pitchers had allowed roughly the equivalent number of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir turned a somewhat less leaky as time passed, giving up 27 from his last six. He claimed a single wicket, holding a smart, low grab, diving to his right side, to end Bethell's batting stint for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Bethell, redeeming scoring merely three in the first innings, was among a trio of half-centurions in the Lions team's top order. Ben McKinney's performances from opener were steadier than those of their No 3: he scored 66 in their first batting effort and improved by two in their second innings, facing 61 deliveries over his 50 runs, with five and a couple sixes, both against Bashir's pitching. Jacob Bethell got to 68 before a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover, who took a bending grab at ankle height.

Cox showed similar reliability, and built on his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. He played some outstandingly elegant hits on the way, such as a straight drive and a pull shot against back-to-back Brydon Carse balls to attain his half century.

Having missed the opening day of this fixture with a stomach issue and made only the smallest of efforts to the second day, Brydon Carse pitched excellently when at last provided the chance, with McKinney and Cox included in his three wickets.

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