Pope Cements Position to England's No 3 Spot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It is difficult to know how significant of England's practice game will prove meaningful when their Ashes contest begins a short distance away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but ages away in importance and environment – but if it achieved nothing more than strengthening Ollie Pope's self-belief, that on its own has rendered the endeavor worthwhile.

The English side's number three batsman – that point is surely totally established – followed his initial innings ton by notching a further 90 in the second innings, and what was notable was less about the quantity of scored runs but the manner in which they were made. Periodically the 27-year-old appeared dominant, striking a dozen fours and a two of sixes, hitting the ball sweetly but with aggressive purpose.

This was merely a friendly against a England Lions team that deployed a total of 11 pitchers throughout a match staged in before a small group of spectators in a local ground, but it was still extremely praiseworthy. To note, the England team, chasing of 202 following the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand once Smith raced the team over the conclusion with a series of boundaries.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the other two significant first-innings' achievers, both fell short in the second innings, while Joe Root added additional points – 31 on this time – but was not enormously more dominant, before being bemused and duly bowled by Will Jacks. Harry Brook suffered an identical fate soon afterwards.

Bashir – who ended the match having delivered 12 overs for both teams – will have encountered a portion of the strokes he faced quite hostile. His initial six overs against the Lions cost 56, with McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not exactly poor was surely not very dangerous.

After the sixth over of that period, England's other bowlers had given away nearly exactly the equivalent number of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a slightly less leaky in time, conceding 27 from his remaining six. He took one dismissal, making a sharp, low-down catch, falling to his right side, to end Bethell's batting stint for 70, from 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for scoring just a small score in the opening knock, was among three players fifty-scorers in the Lions team's leading batsmen. McKinney's performances from opener were more reliable than those of their No 3: he made 66 in their first batting effort and scored 68 in their second, taking 61 balls for his 50 runs, with five and two sixes, each off Bashir's's deliveries. Bethell made 68 prior to a poor shot to Stokes at cover position, who held a stooping catch at shin level.

Jordan Cox exhibited comparable reliability, and built on his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at slightly more than a run a ball. There were several exceptionally handsome shots en route, including a straight hit and a hook from consecutive Carse deliveries to attain his fifty.

After missing the opening day of this fixture with a stomach issue and provided just the least significant of contributions to the second day, Carse delivered excellently when at last provided the opportunity, with McKinney and Cox included in his three wickets.

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