Pope Reinforces Status to England Cricket's Number Three Slot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It's difficult to know how much of the English team's practice fixture will end up being relevant when their Ashes campaign kicks off not far at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a brief gap in space or time but worlds away in importance and environment – but if it managed nothing more than enhancing Ollie Pope's assurance, that alone has made the exercise worthwhile.

The English side's number three batsman – this fact is surely totally established – followed his initial innings ton by notching a further 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was remarkable was less about the number of runs but the manner in which they were accumulated. On occasion the 27-year-old appeared dominant, striking a dozen boundaries and a two of maximums, connecting with the ball perfectly but with aggressive determination.

This was only a practice match versus a Lions side that used fully 11 bowlers throughout a contest held in front of a handful of spectators in a open field, but it was still extremely praiseworthy. To note, England, chasing of 202 once the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand once Smith hurried the team over the conclusion with a flurry of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the two other significant first-innings successes, both failed in the second innings, while Joe Root scored additional runs – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more dominant, prior to being puzzled and duly out by Jacks. Harry Brook met an identical fate a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the game having bowled 12 bowling spells for each side – will have found some of the strokes he bowled to rather hostile. His initial six overs versus the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney tucking in to deliveries that if not exactly poor was definitely not very threatening.

After the sixth over of that period, the English side's remaining three pitchers had conceded nearly exactly the equivalent number of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler grew a little less giving in time, giving up 27 from his final six. He claimed a single wicket, taking a sharp, low grab, diving to his right side, to finish Bethell's innings for 70, from 80 balls.

Bethell, compensating for managing merely three in the first innings, was one of a trio of players with fifties in the Lions' leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's performances from opener were steadier than those of their No 3: he notched 66 in their initial knock and improved by two in their second innings, taking 61 balls over his fifty, with five and a couple sixes, the pair against Bashir's's bowling. Jacob Bethell got to 68 before a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover position, who took a bending grab at ankle height.

Jordan Cox exhibited similar consistency, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at about a scoring rate of one. He played a few exceptionally handsome hits on the way, featuring a drive down the ground and a pull shot against successive Carse deliveries to achieve his 50 runs.

Having missed the initial day of this match with a stomach issue and provided only the smallest of contributions to the second day, Brydon Carse delivered superbly when at last afforded the chance, with Ben McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

The coverage will update