Ollie Pope Cements Position to England's No 3 Slot with Impressive 90 Versus Lions

It is tough to determine how significant of the English team's practice match will prove meaningful when their Ashes contest begins 10km away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a short span in space or time but light years away in import and mood – but if it achieved solely strengthening Pope's self-belief, that by itself has rendered the effort worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – this fact is undoubtedly completely established – followed his first-innings century by adding an additional 90 in the second, and the truly impressive was less about the number of scored runs but the way in which they were accumulated. Periodically the 27-year-old seemed dominant, smashing a twelve fours and a pair of sixes, timing the ball beautifully but with fierce intent.

It was just a friendly versus a England Lions team that deployed exactly 11 bowlers across a contest staged in front of a few dozen of people in a open field, but it was still extremely impressive. Officially, England, set a target of 202 following the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by a margin of five wickets after Jamie Smith raced the team over the finish line with a series of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two significant first-innings performers, both fell short in the follow-up, while Joe Root added further points – 31 on this instance – but was not significantly more dominant, prior to being bemused and accordingly bowled by Will Jacks. Brook experienced an same outcome a little later.

Bashir – who finished the match having bowled 12 overs for each side – will have found some of the hitting he faced rather aggressive. His first six deliveries against the Lions conceded 56, with McKinney feasting to bowling that if not completely wayward was surely far from intimidating.

After the sixth of those overs, the English side's other pitchers had given away roughly the equivalent amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir grew a slightly less giving in time, allowing 27 from his remaining six. He took one wicket, taking a clever, low-down catch, diving to his right side, to end Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Bethell, making up for managing only three in the initial innings, was a member of a trio of players with fifties in the Lions team's top order. McKinney's performances from opener were steadier than those from their No 3: he notched 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their second innings, taking 61 balls to reach his 50 runs, with five and two sixes, each against Bashir's pitching. Bethell reached 68 prior to a mishit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a stooping catch at low down.

Cox showed like reliability, and followed his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at slightly more than a run per delivery. There were some outstandingly elegant strokes on the way, such as a drive down the ground and a pull shot off successive Carse balls to attain his 50 runs.

Having missed the initial day of this match with a illness and contributed only the least significant of efforts to the second day, Carse bowled superbly when eventually provided the chance, with McKinney and Cox part of his three scalps.

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