Pope Strengthens Claim to England Cricket's No 3 Spot with Impressive 90 Against Lions

It's difficult to know how much of England's preparatory game will end up being relevant when their Ashes battle begins 10km away at Perth Stadium on Friday – no distance in space or time but ages away in import and mood – but if it accomplished only strengthening Ollie Pope's self-belief, that by itself has rendered the exercise worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – this fact is undoubtedly absolutely clear – followed his first-innings hundred by adding a further 90 in the second innings, and the most notable was less about the quantity of runs but the style in which they were scored. Periodically the player seemed dominant, striking a dozen fours and a two of sixes, timing the ball beautifully but with devilish intent.

This was merely a practice match versus a England Lions team that deployed fully 11 pitchers across a match played in amid a small group of onlookers in a open field, but it was still extremely praiseworthy. For the record, England, needing of 202 after the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets when Smith sped the team past the conclusion with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two major first-innings' successes, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Joe Root added further points – 31 on this occasion – but was not significantly more assured, then being bemused and subsequently dismissed by Will Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an similar end a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the fixture having delivered 12 overs for each side – will have found some of the strokes he faced rather aggressive. His initial six deliveries against the Lions cost 56, with McKinney tucking in to deliveries that if not entirely poor was certainly not very intimidating.

After the sixth spell of those deliveries, England's three other pitchers had given away almost precisely the equivalent amount of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir grew a slightly less giving later on, giving up 27 from his final six. He claimed a single wicket, taking a clever, diving snare, falling to his right, to conclude Jacob Bethell's innings for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Bethell, compensating for managing only a small score in the opening knock, was among three half-centurions in the Lions' top four. Ben McKinney's scores from opening batsman were steadier than those from their number three: he made 66 in their first innings and improved by two in their follow-up, facing 61 deliveries over his fifty, with five boundaries and a couple six-hit shots, each off Bashir's bowling. Bethell reached 68 prior to a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who took a low grab at low down.

Jordan Cox displayed similar steadiness, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at about a run per delivery. There were several remarkably beautiful hits en route, such as a straight hit and a hook off back-to-back Brydon Carse balls to achieve his fifty.

Having missed the first day of this game with a stomach issue and provided merely the smallest of efforts to the second day, Brydon Carse delivered superbly when at last afforded the chance, with McKinney and Cox among his three scalps.

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