Ollie Pope Reinforces Status to England's No 3 Spot with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It is difficult to know how relevant of England's practice fixture will be remotely important when their Ashes contest kicks off not far at the Perth venue on Friday – no distance in geography or duration but ages away in significance and environment – but if it managed solely boosting Ollie Pope's self-belief, that by itself has rendered the endeavor worthwhile.

The English side's number three batsman – that much is undoubtedly absolutely clear – built on his initial innings ton by adding an additional 90 in the second, and the most notable was less about the number of scored runs but the style in which they were made. At times the young batsman seemed dominant, smashing a dozen fours and a couple of maximums, hitting the ball beautifully but with aggressive determination.

This was only a exhibition game versus a Lions squad that used fully 11 bowlers across a contest staged in front of a small group of people in a public park, but it was still extremely impressive. For the record, the England team, chasing of 202 after the Lions ended their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by a margin of five wickets once Jamie Smith hurried the team past the conclusion with a flurry of boundaries.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the remaining significant first-innings achievers, both fell short in the second innings, while Root added several more runs – 31 on this time – but was not enormously more dominant, prior to being bemused and duly dismissed by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an same outcome a little later.

Bashir – who finished the match having bowled 12 overs for either team – will have faced part of the hitting he bowled to quite aggressive. His first six overs against the Lions went for 56, with McKinney tucking in to bowling that if not completely poor was definitely far from threatening.

After the sixth of those overs, the English side's three other pitchers had conceded almost precisely the identical number of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a little less giving later on, conceding 27 from his last six. He took one wicket, making a clever, diving snare, falling to his right, to finish Bethell's innings for 70, facing 80 balls.

Bethell, redeeming scoring only a small score in the first innings, was among a trio of players with fifties in the Lions' leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's scores from opener were steadier than those from their number three: he made 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their follow-up, using 61 balls over his half-century, with five and a couple sixes, each from Bashir's pitching. Bethell reached 68 before a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover position, who held a low grab at shin level.

Cox exhibited similar consistency, and built on his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at slightly more than a scoring rate of one. He produced some remarkably beautiful shots en route, featuring a straight drive and a hook from successive Brydon Carse deliveries to achieve his fifty.

Following his absence from the initial day of this match with a illness and made just the most minor of contributions to the second day, Carse pitched superbly when finally provided the opportunity, with McKinney and Jordan Cox included in his three dismissals.

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