Ollie Pope Strengthens Status to England Cricket's Number Three Role with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It's tough to determine how much of England's preparatory game will end up being important when their Ashes series contest kicks off a short distance away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but ages away in significance and atmosphere – but if it achieved solely enhancing Ollie Pope's self-belief, that on its own has made the endeavor beneficial.

England's number three batsman – that much is certainly totally established – built on his first-innings century by adding a further 90 in the second, and what was remarkable was less about the quantity of runs but the manner in which they were made. Periodically the player appeared commanding, smashing a dozen fours and a pair of sixes, timing the ball perfectly but with aggressive determination.

It was merely a friendly against a England Lions team that employed a total of 11 pitchers across a game staged in amid a few dozen of onlookers in a public park, but it was still extremely noteworthy. For the record, the England team, set a target of 202 following the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by a margin of five wickets when Smith hurried the team across the conclusion with a stream of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two major first-innings' successes, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Joe Root made additional runs – 31 on this occasion – but was far from more dominant, then being puzzled and accordingly bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook suffered an identical end shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for each side – will have found part of the hitting he bowled to pretty hostile. His opening six deliveries versus the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney tucking in to pitching that if not entirely poor was certainly not overly threatening.

At the end the sixth over of those overs, England's other pitchers had conceded roughly the equivalent total of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a little less leaky as time passed, giving up 27 from his remaining six. He claimed one wicket, taking a clever, low grab, falling to his right, to conclude Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 balls.

Bethell, redeeming scoring just a small score in the opening knock, was one of three half-centurions in the Lions' leading batsmen. McKinney's returns from opener were more reliable than those from their No 3: he made 66 in their first batting effort and improved by two in their second, facing 61 deliveries to reach his half-century, with five boundaries and two sixes, both off Bashir's's pitching. Bethell got to 68 before a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a low grab at ankle height.

Cox displayed similar reliability, and followed his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at slightly more than a run a ball. He produced some remarkably beautiful strokes en route, featuring a straight hit and a pull from successive Brydon Carse deliveries to reach his 50 runs.

Having missed the opening day of this game with a stomach issue and provided only the least significant of inputs to the follow-up, Brydon Carse pitched superbly when eventually afforded the chance, with Ben McKinney and Cox among his three dismissals.

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