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

It is difficult to determine how relevant of the English team's practice match will be remotely important when their Ashes series campaign begins a short distance away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – no distance in geography or duration but light years away in significance and atmosphere – but if it accomplished nothing more than strengthening Ollie Pope's assurance, that on its own has rendered the endeavor worthwhile.

England's No 3 – that point is certainly completely established – built on his first-innings hundred by notching another 90 in the second, and the most remarkable was not merely the total of scored runs but the way in which they were scored. At times the player looked dominant, hitting a dozen boundaries and a couple of sixes, timing the ball beautifully but with fierce determination.

This was just a practice match versus a England Lions team that employed exactly 11 pitchers during a game held in before a small group of spectators in a public park, but it was nevertheless extremely noteworthy. For the record, the England team, set a target of 202 following the Lions closed their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets when Jamie Smith sped the team past the conclusion with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the two other big first-innings performers, both fell short in the second knock, while Joe Root added further points – 31 on this instance – but was not significantly more dominant, prior to being confused and accordingly out by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an identical end shortly after.

Bashir – who finished the match having bowled 12 overs for each side – will have found a portion of the batting he bowled to rather hostile. His first six overs against the Lions went for 56, with McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not entirely poor was definitely not very intimidating.

After the sixth of those deliveries, England's other pitchers had allowed roughly the equivalent amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir grew a somewhat less leaky in time, giving up 27 from his final six. He claimed one dismissal, holding a smart, low grab, falling to his right side, to end Bethell's innings for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Bethell, making up for managing only three runs in the first innings, was a member of a trio of fifty-scorers in the Lions team's leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's scores from opener were more consistent than the scores of their No 3: he scored 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their second innings, facing 61 deliveries to reach his half-century, with five boundaries and two sixes, each from Bashir's's pitching. Bethell made 68 prior to a poor shot to Stokes at cover position, who took a stooping grab at shin level.

Cox displayed comparable reliability, and built on his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at about a scoring rate of one. He played some remarkably handsome hits during his innings, such as a straight drive and a hook against consecutive Carse balls to attain his half century.

Following his absence from the first day of this match with a illness and provided just the least significant of contributions to the follow-up, Carse pitched excellently when at last provided the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox included in his three scalps.

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