Ollie Pope Strengthens Position to England's No 3 Spot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It's tough to gauge how relevant of the English team's preparatory match will end up being meaningful when their Ashes series battle kicks off 10km away at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but ages away in importance and environment – but if it accomplished solely enhancing Ollie Pope's self-belief, that alone has made the endeavor worthwhile.

The English side's No 3 – this fact is surely absolutely certain – built on his first-innings century by notching an additional 90 in the second innings, and the truly notable was not so much the quantity of scored runs but the style in which they were scored. Periodically the player seemed imperious, striking a twelve fours and a couple of sixes, connecting with the ball beautifully but with fierce determination.

It was just a friendly against a England Lions side that used fully 11 pitchers across a contest staged in front of a small group of spectators in a open field, but it was still very impressive. Officially, the England team, chasing of 202 following the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by a margin of five wickets after Jamie Smith raced the team over the conclusion with a series of boundaries.

Crawley and Ben Duckett, the two other major first-innings achievers, both fell short in the second innings, while Root made additional runs – 31 on this occasion – but was far from more convincing, prior to being puzzled and subsequently bowled by Jacks. Brook met an similar fate a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for either team – will have encountered part of the batting he faced rather aggressive. His initial six overs versus the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney tucking in to pitching that if not exactly wayward was surely far from threatening.

After the sixth spell of those deliveries, the English side's other pitchers had conceded roughly the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a slightly less giving in time, allowing 27 from his remaining six. He took one wicket, taking a sharp, low-down snare, diving to his right, to end Jacob Bethell's batting stint for 70, facing 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, redeeming managing merely three in the first innings, was one of three players half-centurions in the Lions team's top four. Ben McKinney's scores from opener were more reliable than those from their No 3: he notched 66 in their first innings and went two better in their second, using 61 deliveries to reach his 50 runs, with five boundaries and a couple sixes, the pair off Bashir's bowling. Bethell made 68 prior to a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who held a stooping grab at ankle height.

Cox showed like steadiness, and backed up his first-innings 53 with another 57, at just over a run per delivery. He played a few outstandingly handsome strokes en route, such as a straight hit and a hook off consecutive Carse balls to attain his 50 runs.

After missing the opening day of this match with a stomach issue and made only the smallest of contributions to the second day, Carse delivered superbly when at last given the opportunity, with McKinney and Cox included in his three wickets.

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