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

It is hard to gauge how relevant of the English team's practice match will prove meaningful when their Ashes campaign starts a short distance away at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a short span in space or time but light years away in import and mood – but if it accomplished solely strengthening Ollie Pope's self-belief, that alone has made the effort worthwhile.

England's No 3 – that point is undoubtedly totally established – followed his first-innings century by scoring another 90 in the follow-up innings, and the most remarkable was not merely the quantity of runs but the style in which they were scored. On occasion the player looked dominant, striking a dozen boundaries and a pair of sixes, connecting with the ball perfectly but with aggressive purpose.

This was only a practice match against a England Lions team that employed fully 11 bowlers during a contest staged in amid a handful of onlookers in a public park, but it was nevertheless hugely praiseworthy. Officially, England, set a target of 202 after the Lions ended their second innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets once Jamie Smith raced the team over the winning target with a flurry of boundaries.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the other two significant first-innings' performers, both were dismissed in the follow-up, while Root added further points – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more convincing, then being confused and duly out by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an identical outcome shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the fixture having bowled 12 overs for each side – will have encountered part of the batting he bowled to pretty aggressive. His initial six overs against the Lions went for 56, with McKinney feasting to bowling that if not exactly loose was surely not very threatening.

By the conclusion the sixth over of those deliveries, England's three other pitchers had given away nearly exactly the identical total of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a slightly less giving as time passed, giving up 27 from his last six. He claimed one dismissal, making a sharp, low-down snare, falling to his right, to finish Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Bethell, making up for scoring just three runs in the opening knock, was among three half-centurions in the Lions' leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's returns from opener were more reliable than those from their number three: he scored 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their second innings, using 61 balls for his fifty, with five boundaries and a couple sixes, each off Bashir's bowling. Bethell reached 68 prior to a mishit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a stooping catch at ankle height.

Jordan Cox showed like consistency, and built on his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at about a run per delivery. He produced a few outstandingly handsome strokes during his innings, including a straight hit and a hook from back-to-back Brydon Carse deliveries to achieve his half century.

Following his absence from the opening day of this game with a stomach upset and provided only the most minor of efforts to the second day, Brydon Carse pitched excellently when eventually afforded the opportunity, with McKinney and Cox part of his three dismissals.

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