Pope Strengthens Status to England Cricket's No 3 Role with Strong 90 Against Lions

It is tough to determine how relevant of the English team's preparatory fixture will be remotely important when their Ashes battle kicks off not far at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – no distance in space or time but worlds away in significance and environment – but if it managed nothing more than enhancing Ollie Pope's assurance, that alone has rendered the effort valuable.

The English side's No 3 – that much is undoubtedly totally certain – followed his first-innings ton by scoring an additional 90 in the second, and the most notable was not so much the number of runs but the way in which they were accumulated. At times the 27-year-old seemed imperious, smashing a dozen fours and a two of maximums, hitting the ball perfectly but with fierce intent.

This was just a exhibition game versus a Lions squad that employed a total of 11 bowlers across a game staged in amid a handful of onlookers in a local ground, but it was nevertheless very noteworthy. To note, the England team, chasing of 202 following the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand when Jamie Smith hurried the team past the conclusion with a flurry of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the remaining big first-innings successes, both were dismissed in the follow-up, while Root made several more runs – 31 on this instance – but was not significantly more assured, before being bemused and duly bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook suffered an identical fate a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the game having delivered 12 overs for each side – will have faced part of the strokes he bowled to rather challenging. His first six deliveries against the Lions cost 56, with McKinney tucking in to bowling that if not completely loose was definitely not overly intimidating.

At the end the sixth spell of that period, the English side's remaining three bowlers had given away nearly exactly the identical total of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a little less generous in time, allowing 27 from his remaining six. He took a single wicket, holding a smart, low-down snare, falling to his right, to end Jacob Bethell's batting stint for 70, from 80 balls.

Bethell, making up for scoring just three runs in the opening knock, was among a trio of players with fifties in the Lions' top four. Ben McKinney's performances from opening batsman were steadier than the scores of their No 3: he notched 66 in their first innings and went two better in their follow-up, taking 61 deliveries to reach his half-century, with five fours and two sixes, both from Bashir's's pitching. Jacob Bethell got to 68 before a mishit to Stokes at cover, who took a stooping grab at low down.

Jordan Cox displayed like steadiness, and followed his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. He played several exceptionally beautiful strokes en route, including a straight drive and a pull against consecutive Carse deliveries to achieve his half century.

Following his absence from the opening day of this fixture with a stomach upset and provided merely the most minor of contributions to the second day, Brydon Carse bowled brilliantly when eventually afforded the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

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