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

It is difficult to determine how much of England's practice match will end up being meaningful when their Ashes series campaign begins not far at Perth Stadium on Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but light years away in importance and atmosphere – but if it achieved nothing more than strengthening Pope's confidence, that alone has rendered the exercise beneficial.

The English side's number three batsman – that much is certainly totally certain – built on his first-innings hundred by notching another 90 in the second, and the most notable was less about the quantity of scored runs but the way in which they were scored. Periodically the young batsman appeared imperious, smashing a twelve boundaries and a couple of sixes, timing the ball beautifully but with aggressive purpose.

It was only a exhibition game against a England Lions squad that deployed fully 11 pitchers during a game staged in before a small group of onlookers in a open field, but it was nevertheless very impressive. For the record, England, set a target of 202 after the Lions closed their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by a margin of five wickets after Smith sped the team over the conclusion with a series of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the remaining significant first-innings' performers, both failed in the follow-up, while Root added several more points – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more convincing, then being bemused and accordingly dismissed by Jacks. Brook met an similar end a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the match having bowled 12 bowling spells for either team – will have faced a portion of the batting he confronted quite hostile. His initial six overs against the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney feasting to pitching that if not completely poor was definitely not very intimidating.

By the conclusion the sixth spell of those deliveries, the English side's other pitchers had conceded nearly exactly the equivalent amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir grew a somewhat less leaky later on, allowing 27 from his remaining six. He took one wicket, making a smart, low-down catch, diving to his right, to end Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, redeeming achieving just a small score in the first innings, was a member of three players players with fifties in the Lions' top order. McKinney's performances 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 follow-up, using 61 balls for his 50 runs, with five fours and a couple six-hit shots, each from Bashir's's deliveries. Jacob Bethell reached 68 before a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who made a bending grab at shin level.

Cox showed comparable reliability, and built on his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at just over a run per delivery. There were a few remarkably handsome hits en route, including a drive down the ground and a hook against back-to-back Brydon Carse deliveries to achieve his 50 runs.

Following his absence from the opening day of this match with a illness and made only the most minor of contributions to the second day, Brydon Carse pitched excellently when finally provided the chance, with McKinney and Cox among his three dismissals.

This report may be updated