Pope Cements Position to England Cricket's Number Three Slot with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It is difficult to determine how relevant of the English team's practice game will end up being important when their Ashes series contest starts not far at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but worlds away in import and environment – but if it achieved only boosting Ollie Pope's self-belief, that on its own has rendered the endeavor worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – this fact is surely absolutely clear – followed his first-innings hundred by scoring a further 90 in the second innings, and what was impressive was less about the quantity of runs but the manner in which they were made. Periodically the 27-year-old seemed imperious, striking a dozen fours and a couple of sixes, hitting the ball beautifully but with aggressive determination.

This was just a friendly versus a Lions squad that used exactly 11 pitchers across a match staged in amid a handful of people in a open field, but it was nonetheless extremely impressive. For the record, England, set a target of 202 following the Lions closed their second innings on 251 for six, succeeded by a margin of five wickets after Jamie Smith raced the team over the winning target with a series of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two big first-innings' achievers, both were dismissed in the second knock, while Joe Root added further points – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more dominant, before being confused and accordingly bowled by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an identical fate soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the game having bowled 12 overs for each side – will have found part of the hitting he faced rather hostile. His opening six overs against the Lions cost 56, with McKinney tucking in to deliveries that if not entirely loose was definitely not very intimidating.

By the conclusion the sixth of those deliveries, England's other pitchers had allowed roughly the identical number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a somewhat less giving in time, conceding 27 from his last six. He secured one dismissal, making a sharp, low-down grab, diving to his right side, to conclude Bethell's innings for 70, off 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing just three runs in the initial innings, was one of three half-centurions in the Lions team's leading batsmen. McKinney's scores from opener were steadier than those of their number three: he notched 66 in their first innings and improved by two in their second, taking 61 balls over his fifty, with five boundaries and two six-hit shots, both against Bashir's's deliveries. Bethell got to 68 prior to a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who held a stooping grab at ankle height.

Cox showed similar reliability, and built on his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at just over a run a ball. There were several outstandingly handsome shots on the way, including a straight hit and a pull off back-to-back Carse balls to reach his half century.

Following his absence from the first day of this game with a stomach issue and contributed just the most minor of contributions to the follow-up, Carse delivered excellently when finally afforded the shot, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three dismissals.

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