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

It's hard to gauge how relevant of England's preparatory game will prove meaningful when their Ashes battle kicks off not far at Perth Stadium on Friday – a short span in space or time but worlds away in significance and mood – but if it accomplished solely boosting Pope's assurance, that by itself has made the effort beneficial.

The English side's No 3 – that point is certainly totally established – built on his first-innings century by scoring an additional 90 in the second, and what was remarkable was not so much the number of scored runs but the manner in which they were made. At times the 27-year-old seemed imperious, striking a twelve boundaries and a couple of maximums, timing the ball perfectly but with devilish determination.

It was merely a exhibition game against a England Lions side that deployed fully 11 pitchers throughout a contest held in amid a small group of onlookers in a open field, but it was nevertheless hugely praiseworthy. For the record, England, chasing of 202 once the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand once Smith sped the team over the winning target with a series of boundaries.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two major first-innings performers, both were dismissed in the second knock, while Joe Root scored additional points – 31 on this time – but was far from more dominant, before being confused and duly bowled by Jacks. Brook suffered an identical end shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for either team – will have faced some of the batting he faced pretty hostile. His first six overs versus the Lions conceded 56, with McKinney feasting to bowling that if not exactly loose was definitely not very intimidating.

After the sixth spell of that period, the English side's three other pitchers had allowed roughly the identical number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a little less giving as time passed, allowing 27 from his final six. He took one dismissal, taking a clever, diving catch, diving to his right side, to end Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, making up for managing just a small score in the initial innings, was a member of a trio of fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top order. Ben McKinney's scores from opener were more reliable than those from their number three: he made 66 in their first innings and went two better in their follow-up, taking 61 deliveries to reach his 50 runs, with five and two six-hit shots, each from Bashir's's deliveries. Jacob Bethell got to 68 before a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover, who made a stooping grab at low down.

Cox showed similar reliability, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at slightly more than a run a ball. There were a few outstandingly handsome hits on the way, such as a straight hit and a pull shot from consecutive Brydon Carse balls to attain his 50 runs.

Following his absence from the first day of this fixture with a stomach issue and provided only the most minor of efforts to the second, Brydon Carse pitched superbly when finally given the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

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