Ollie Pope Strengthens Status to England's No 3 Role with Impressive 90 Versus Lions

It is difficult to determine how significant of England's preparatory match will prove important when their Ashes campaign starts a short distance away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – no distance in space or time but worlds away in importance and atmosphere – but if it managed only enhancing Ollie Pope's assurance, that by itself has rendered the exercise worthwhile.

England's No 3 – that much is surely absolutely clear – followed his first-innings century by notching a further 90 in the second, and the truly notable was less about the number of scored runs but the way in which they were made. Periodically the 27-year-old appeared dominant, hitting a dozen boundaries and a pair of sixes, connecting with the ball perfectly but with devilish intent.

This was merely a exhibition game versus a Lions team that employed a total of 11 bowlers throughout a contest held in amid a handful of onlookers in a local ground, but it was nevertheless very praiseworthy. For the record, the England team, chasing of 202 once the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by a margin of five wickets once Smith raced the team over the winning target with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two major first-innings' performers, both failed in the second knock, while Root added additional runs – 31 on this time – but was not enormously more dominant, prior to being confused and subsequently bowled by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an similar fate a little later.

Bashir – who ended the fixture having delivered 12 overs for both teams – will have found part of the strokes he confronted quite aggressive. His first six overs versus the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney feasting to pitching that if not entirely poor was definitely not overly dangerous.

After the sixth spell of those deliveries, the English side's other pitchers had conceded nearly exactly the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a little less generous in time, giving up 27 from his remaining six. He claimed a single wicket, holding a smart, low snare, falling to his right, to conclude Bethell's batting stint for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Bethell, compensating for managing merely three in the initial innings, was a member of a trio of half-centurions in the Lions team's leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's scores from opening batsman were more consistent than those of their number three: he scored 66 in their first batting effort and scored 68 in their second innings, taking 61 deliveries over his 50 runs, with five boundaries and two maximums, each against Bashir's deliveries. Bethell got to 68 before a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who held a stooping grab at low down.

Jordan Cox showed like consistency, and built on his first-innings 53 with an additional 57, at slightly more than a run a ball. There were some outstandingly handsome strokes en route, featuring a straight drive and a hook from successive Carse balls to attain his 50 runs.

Having missed the first day of this match with a stomach upset and provided merely the least significant of inputs to the second day, Brydon Carse bowled brilliantly when eventually provided the shot, with McKinney and Cox part of his three scalps.

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