Ollie Pope Reinforces Status to England's No 3 Spot with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It is tough to gauge how significant of the English team's preparatory fixture will end up being relevant when their Ashes series battle kicks off 10km away at Perth Stadium on Friday – no distance in geography or duration but light years away in import and atmosphere – but if it managed solely enhancing Ollie Pope's confidence, that alone has made the effort beneficial.

England's number three batsman – that much is undoubtedly totally certain – followed his first-innings century by scoring another 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was remarkable was less about the number of scored runs but the way in which they were accumulated. At times the young batsman looked dominant, smashing a twelve boundaries and a couple of sixes, connecting with the ball sweetly but with devilish determination.

This was only a practice match against a England Lions squad that used fully 11 pitchers across a match staged in amid a few dozen of onlookers in a open field, but it was nonetheless very impressive. Officially, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions closed their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets after Jamie Smith raced the team past the winning target with a series of boundaries.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the remaining big first-innings' performers, both were dismissed in the follow-up, while Root made additional runs – 31 on this occasion – but was not significantly more convincing, prior to being bemused and duly bowled by Will Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an same fate a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for each side – will have encountered a portion of the batting he bowled to quite aggressive. His opening six overs against the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not exactly loose was definitely not overly intimidating.

At the end the sixth spell of that period, the English side's other bowlers had conceded nearly exactly the identical amount of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a somewhat less giving as time passed, allowing 27 from his last six. He claimed one wicket, holding a smart, diving catch, falling to his right side, to conclude Bethell's batting stint for 70, facing 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing only three in the opening knock, was a member of a trio of players with fifties in the Lions' top four. McKinney's returns from opening batsman were more consistent than those from their No 3: he notched 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their second, facing 61 balls for his half-century, with five and two sixes, each against Bashir's deliveries. Jacob Bethell made 68 before a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who took a bending grab at low down.

Jordan Cox exhibited comparable consistency, and built on his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at about a scoring rate of one. He produced some remarkably handsome hits en route, featuring a straight hit and a pull shot from back-to-back Brydon Carse deliveries to achieve his half century.

After missing the initial day of this game with a stomach upset and provided just the most minor of inputs to the follow-up, Brydon Carse pitched brilliantly when at last given the shot, with McKinney and Jordan Cox included in his three wickets.

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