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

It's difficult to determine how much of the English team's preparatory match will be remotely relevant when their Ashes series contest starts 10km away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but worlds away in import and atmosphere – but if it achieved solely boosting Ollie Pope's self-belief, that on its own has rendered the exercise worthwhile.

The English side's No 3 – that much is undoubtedly completely established – followed his initial innings century by notching an additional 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was impressive was not so much the quantity of runs but the style in which they were accumulated. Periodically the player looked commanding, striking a twelve boundaries and a two of maximums, timing the ball sweetly but with devilish intent.

This was only a friendly versus a England Lions side that used exactly 11 bowlers across a game held in amid a few dozen of people in a open field, but it was nonetheless very impressive. For the record, the England team, chasing of 202 following the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets when Smith hurried the team across the finish line with a series of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the two other significant first-innings performers, both fell short in the second knock, while Joe Root added further runs – 31 on this occasion – but was far from more assured, prior to being confused and accordingly bowled by Will Jacks. Harry Brook suffered an similar outcome soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the game having delivered 12 overs for each side – will have faced part of the batting he bowled to rather challenging. His initial six overs versus the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney feasting to pitching that if not entirely loose was certainly not very intimidating.

After the sixth spell of that period, England's remaining three pitchers had allowed nearly exactly the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir turned a little less generous as time passed, conceding 27 from his remaining six. He claimed one wicket, holding a smart, low-down catch, falling to his right side, to end Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, facing 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, redeeming achieving just three runs in the opening knock, was a member of a trio of fifty-scorers in the Lions' leading batsmen. McKinney's returns from opener were steadier than those of their number three: he made 66 in their first batting effort and scored 68 in their second innings, taking 61 deliveries over his fifty, with five fours and a couple sixes, both from Bashir's's pitching. Bethell got to 68 before a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who made a low catch at low down.

Jordan Cox exhibited similar steadiness, and backed up his first-innings 53 with another 57, at just over a run a ball. There were several exceptionally elegant strokes on the way, such as a straight drive and a hook off back-to-back Brydon Carse balls to reach his 50 runs.

Having missed the first day of this match with a stomach issue and provided just the least significant of efforts to the follow-up, Brydon Carse bowled excellently when finally provided the chance, with McKinney and Jordan Cox among his three dismissals.

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