Ollie Pope Cements Status to England Cricket's Number Three Role with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It is tough to determine how significant of England's practice fixture will be remotely relevant when their Ashes series contest starts not far at Perth Stadium on Friday – a short span in space or time but worlds away in import and environment – but if it achieved nothing more than enhancing Ollie Pope's assurance, that alone has rendered the effort worthwhile.

The English side's No 3 – that much is surely absolutely clear – built on his initial innings century by scoring an additional 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was remarkable was not so much the total of runs but the way in which they were accumulated. At times the young batsman seemed imperious, hitting a twelve fours and a couple of sixes, hitting the ball beautifully but with aggressive determination.

This was merely a exhibition game against a England Lions team that employed fully 11 bowlers during a match staged in before a small group of onlookers in a public park, but it was nevertheless very praiseworthy. For the record, the England team, set a target of 202 following the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets when Jamie Smith hurried the team over the finish line with a flurry of boundaries.

Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two major first-innings' successes, both failed in the follow-up, while Root scored additional runs – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more assured, prior to being puzzled and duly dismissed by Jacks. Harry Brook met an same outcome soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the game having bowled 12 overs for both teams – will have faced part of the hitting he bowled to rather hostile. His opening six deliveries against the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to deliveries that if not exactly loose was certainly not overly threatening.

At the end the sixth spell of that period, the English side's remaining three bowlers had allowed nearly exactly the equivalent amount of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a slightly less leaky in time, allowing 27 from his last six. He took a single wicket, taking a smart, low grab, leaning to his right, to end Jacob Bethell's innings for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Bethell, redeeming achieving just three in the opening knock, was one of three half-centurions in the Lions team's top order. Ben McKinney's performances from opener were more consistent than those from their No 3: he notched 66 in their first innings and went two better in their second, facing 61 deliveries over his half-century, with five fours and two sixes, each off Bashir's deliveries. Bethell made 68 then a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who took a bending catch at ankle height.

Cox showed comparable steadiness, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at slightly more than a scoring rate of one. He played a few outstandingly handsome hits on the way, such as a drive down the ground and a pull shot against successive Brydon Carse deliveries to achieve his half century.

After missing the opening day of this match with a illness and made just the smallest of inputs to the follow-up, Brydon Carse delivered superbly when finally given the chance, with McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three wickets.

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