Ollie Pope Reinforces Position to England's Number Three Slot with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It is tough to determine how relevant of the English team's practice fixture will prove important when their Ashes contest kicks off 10km away at Perth Stadium on Friday – no distance in space or time but worlds away in import and mood – but if it achieved nothing more than boosting Ollie Pope's self-belief, that on its own has made the endeavor worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – this fact is undoubtedly completely clear – followed his initial innings ton by scoring an additional 90 in the second, and what was remarkable was less about the number of runs but the way in which they were scored. At times the player seemed dominant, hitting a dozen fours and a two of sixes, connecting with the ball sweetly but with fierce purpose.

It was merely a practice match versus a England Lions team that employed a total of 11 bowlers across a game played in front of a few dozen of spectators in a public park, but it was nevertheless hugely noteworthy. For the record, England, set a target of 202 after the Lions closed their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets once Smith hurried the team across the winning target with a series of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the two other major first-innings' achievers, both fell short in the second knock, while Root added further points – 31 on this time – but was not significantly more assured, before being bemused and subsequently out by Will Jacks. Brook experienced an similar fate a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the match having bowled 12 overs for both teams – will have encountered part of the hitting he bowled to quite challenging. His opening six overs against the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney tucking in to pitching that if not completely poor was surely far from threatening.

At the end the sixth over of those deliveries, England's remaining three bowlers had conceded nearly exactly the same amount of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a slightly less leaky in time, giving up 27 from his final six. He claimed one dismissal, making a clever, low-down catch, falling to his right, to conclude Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing merely three runs in the initial innings, was one of three players fifty-scorers in the Lions' top four. Ben McKinney's performances from opener were more reliable than those of their number three: he scored 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their second, facing 61 deliveries over his 50 runs, with five and two sixes, both off Bashir's's pitching. Bethell made 68 then a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover, who held a bending grab at shin level.

Jordan Cox showed similar reliability, and followed his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at about a run a ball. He played some remarkably beautiful hits during his innings, including a straight hit and a pull from consecutive Carse balls to achieve his half century.

After missing the initial day of this game with a stomach issue and made just the least significant of contributions to the second day, Carse pitched excellently when at last provided the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three wickets.

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