Pope Strengthens Position to England Cricket's Number Three Role with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It is hard to determine how much of the English team's warm-up match will end up being meaningful when their Ashes campaign starts 10km away at the Perth venue on Friday – a short span in geography or duration but ages away in import and environment – but if it managed solely boosting Ollie Pope's confidence, that by itself has rendered the effort worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – that much is undoubtedly completely clear – followed his initial innings hundred by adding a further 90 in the follow-up innings, and the truly impressive was less about the total of runs but the manner in which they were scored. Periodically the 27-year-old seemed imperious, striking a dozen fours and a pair of maximums, timing the ball beautifully but with devilish determination.

It was just a friendly against a Lions team that deployed fully 11 pitchers during a game staged in front of a few dozen of spectators in a public park, but it was still extremely praiseworthy. For the record, the England team, set a target of 202 following the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets after Smith hurried the team past the winning target with a stream of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two big first-innings successes, both failed in the follow-up, while Joe Root scored additional points – 31 on this time – but was far from more dominant, then being puzzled and duly bowled by Jacks. Brook suffered an identical end shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for each side – will have encountered a portion of the hitting he confronted quite aggressive. His initial six deliveries against the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not entirely loose was definitely not very dangerous.

By the conclusion the sixth of those deliveries, the English side's three other pitchers had allowed nearly exactly the same number of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a slightly less giving in time, giving up 27 from his remaining six. He claimed a single wicket, holding a smart, diving grab, diving to his right side, to finish Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, making up for managing only three in the opening knock, was among three players players with fifties in the Lions team's top order. Ben McKinney's performances from opening batsman were steadier than those of their number three: he notched 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their second innings, taking 61 deliveries over his half-century, with five boundaries and two sixes, the pair off Bashir's deliveries. Bethell made 68 then a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover, who made a stooping catch at low down.

Jordan Cox displayed comparable consistency, and built on his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at just over a run a ball. He played several remarkably elegant strokes on the way, including a straight hit and a hook off back-to-back Carse balls to attain his fifty.

Having missed the opening day of this game with a stomach upset and contributed only the least significant of contributions to the follow-up, Brydon Carse pitched brilliantly when eventually provided the chance, with McKinney and Cox part of his three dismissals.

This report could change