Ollie Pope Strengthens Claim to England Cricket's Number Three Slot with Impressive 90 Against Lions

It's hard to determine how much of the English team's practice match will end up being important when their Ashes series campaign begins not far at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but light years away in import and environment – but if it achieved nothing more than strengthening Pope's self-belief, that alone has made the effort worthwhile.

The English side's No 3 – that point is certainly absolutely established – built on his initial innings hundred by adding another 90 in the second innings, and the truly remarkable was not so much the number of runs but the manner in which they were accumulated. Periodically the player appeared commanding, striking a dozen boundaries and a two of sixes, timing the ball sweetly but with fierce purpose.

This was merely a friendly versus a Lions squad that employed a total of 11 bowlers during a match played in before a handful of onlookers in a open field, but it was nonetheless extremely noteworthy. To note, England, set a target of 202 after the Lions closed their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand once Jamie Smith sped the team over the finish line with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the remaining big first-innings' achievers, both fell short in the follow-up, while Root made further points – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more assured, then being bemused and duly dismissed by Will Jacks. Brook met an similar outcome a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the match having delivered 12 bowling spells for either team – will have found a portion of the batting he bowled to pretty hostile. His first six deliveries versus the Lions went for 56, with McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not entirely poor was definitely far from dangerous.

At the end the sixth over of those deliveries, England's three other pitchers had conceded nearly exactly the same number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a somewhat less generous later on, giving up 27 from his final six. He took a single wicket, making a clever, low catch, diving to his right side, to conclude Bethell's knock for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Bethell, redeeming scoring merely three runs in the first innings, was one of three fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top order. McKinney's returns from opening batsman were steadier than those of their No 3: he made 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their follow-up, using 61 balls to reach his fifty, with five and a couple sixes, both off Bashir's's pitching. Bethell reached 68 prior to a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who held a stooping catch at low down.

Jordan Cox displayed similar reliability, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at about a scoring rate of one. He played some outstandingly elegant hits during his innings, including a straight hit and a pull against consecutive Carse deliveries to reach his 50 runs.

After missing the opening day of this match with a stomach upset and provided just the smallest of efforts to the second, Carse pitched excellently when finally given the shot, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three wickets.

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