Ollie Pope Cements Status to England's No 3 Role with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It is difficult to determine how much of England's practice game will end up being important when their Ashes battle starts not far at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but ages away in significance and atmosphere – but if it managed nothing more than boosting Pope's assurance, that alone has made the exercise beneficial.

The English side's No 3 – that much is certainly completely clear – followed his initial innings ton by adding an additional 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was impressive was not so much the quantity of runs but the style in which they were scored. On occasion the 27-year-old seemed commanding, striking a twelve boundaries and a pair of sixes, connecting with the ball sweetly but with aggressive intent.

This was merely a friendly against a Lions side that employed a total of 11 pitchers throughout a game staged in before a small group of people in a open field, but it was nonetheless hugely noteworthy. To note, the England team, set a target of 202 following the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand when Smith raced the team over the winning target with a series of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the remaining big first-innings' performers, both were dismissed in the second knock, while Root scored additional runs – 31 on this instance – but was not significantly more dominant, before being puzzled and accordingly bowled by Will Jacks. Brook suffered an same fate a little later.

Bashir – who ended the game having bowled 12 bowling spells for each side – will have faced some of the hitting he bowled to rather challenging. His initial six deliveries against the Lions went for 56, with McKinney tucking in to bowling that if not completely loose was definitely not overly threatening.

By the conclusion the sixth spell of those overs, England's three other bowlers had given away nearly exactly the same total of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a slightly less leaky in time, giving up 27 from his final six. He secured one dismissal, making a sharp, low snare, leaning to his right side, to conclude Bethell's batting stint for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Bethell, redeeming managing only a small score in the initial innings, was a member of three players players with fifties in the Lions team's leading batsmen. McKinney's scores from opening batsman were steadier than those of their number three: he notched 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their second, facing 61 deliveries over his 50 runs, with five boundaries and two six-hit shots, both against Bashir's's bowling. Bethell made 68 before a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover position, who held a stooping catch at shin level.

Cox exhibited comparable reliability, and followed his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at just over a run a ball. He produced a few remarkably beautiful hits en route, featuring a straight drive and a pull against back-to-back Carse deliveries to reach his fifty.

After missing the opening day of this match with a illness and made only the smallest of contributions to the follow-up, Carse delivered superbly when at last provided the chance, with McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three dismissals.

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