Ollie Pope Strengthens Claim to England Cricket's No 3 Role with Impressive 90 Versus Lions

It is tough to know how relevant of the English team's practice game will prove meaningful when their Ashes series battle starts 10km away at Perth Stadium on Friday – a short span in space or time but worlds away in importance and atmosphere – but if it managed nothing more than boosting Pope's confidence, that on its own has rendered the effort worthwhile.

England's No 3 – that much is undoubtedly totally clear – followed his first-innings century by notching a further 90 in the second, and the most remarkable was not merely the quantity of runs but the way in which they were scored. At times the 27-year-old looked imperious, striking a dozen boundaries and a two of sixes, timing the ball sweetly but with fierce purpose.

It was merely a friendly against a England Lions squad that employed a total of 11 pitchers across a contest played in amid a small group of onlookers in a open field, but it was nonetheless extremely impressive. For the record, the England team, needing of 202 once the Lions closed their second innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets in hand when Smith raced the team across the finish line with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the remaining major first-innings' successes, both fell short in the second knock, while Joe Root scored additional runs – 31 on this occasion – but was far from more assured, then being confused and subsequently out by Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an identical fate shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the match having delivered 12 overs for either team – will have found a portion of the hitting he confronted rather hostile. His initial six deliveries versus the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to deliveries that if not entirely wayward was surely far from dangerous.

After the sixth spell of that period, the English side's remaining three bowlers had conceded almost precisely the same number of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir grew a somewhat less leaky in time, giving up 27 from his remaining six. He secured a single wicket, holding a clever, diving catch, leaning to his right side, to conclude Bethell's innings for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing only three in the opening knock, was one of a trio of players with fifties in the Lions' top four. Ben McKinney's returns from opening batsman were steadier than those of their number three: he scored 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their follow-up, facing 61 balls over his 50 runs, with five fours and a couple sixes, the pair off Bashir's deliveries. Bethell reached 68 prior to a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover, who held a low grab at shin level.

Jordan Cox exhibited like reliability, and followed his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. He played some remarkably handsome hits on the way, such as a straight drive and a pull shot from consecutive Carse deliveries to attain his fifty.

Following his absence from the first day of this game with a stomach upset and contributed just the least significant of inputs to the second, Carse bowled brilliantly when at last afforded the chance, with Ben McKinney and Cox included in his three dismissals.

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