Ollie Pope Reinforces Position to England's No 3 Spot with Impressive 90 Against Lions

It's hard to gauge how significant of the English team's warm-up fixture will prove relevant when their Ashes series battle kicks off a short distance away at Perth Stadium on Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but ages away in importance and mood – but if it managed only enhancing Pope's self-belief, that by itself has rendered the endeavor valuable.

England's No 3 – that point is undoubtedly absolutely certain – built on his initial innings hundred by notching an additional 90 in the second, and the most remarkable was less about the number of scored runs but the manner in which they were scored. On occasion the young batsman looked dominant, striking a twelve fours and a two of sixes, connecting with the ball perfectly but with devilish intent.

It was merely a practice match against a Lions squad that deployed exactly 11 bowlers during a match staged in front of a few dozen of spectators in a open field, but it was nevertheless hugely noteworthy. For the record, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand after Jamie Smith hurried the team across the finish line with a stream of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the remaining big first-innings performers, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Joe Root made additional runs – 31 on this time – but was far from more dominant, before being bemused and duly out by Will Jacks. Brook met an identical outcome soon afterwards.

Bashir – who ended the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for either team – will have encountered part of the strokes he bowled to quite hostile. His opening six overs versus the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not entirely poor was surely not overly threatening.

After the sixth spell of those overs, the English side's remaining three pitchers had allowed roughly the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a somewhat less giving as time passed, allowing 27 from his final six. He claimed one dismissal, taking a sharp, low snare, diving to his right, to finish Jacob Bethell's batting stint for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, making up for managing only three runs in the initial innings, was among three players with fifties in the Lions team's top order. Ben McKinney's returns from opening batsman were steadier than those from their number three: he scored 66 in their first batting effort and scored 68 in their second, taking 61 balls to reach his fifty, with five fours and two six-hit shots, the pair off Bashir's's deliveries. Jacob Bethell made 68 before a mishit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who held a bending catch at ankle height.

Cox showed comparable consistency, and built on his first-innings 53 with an additional 57, at slightly more than a run per delivery. He produced some outstandingly elegant hits during his innings, such as a straight drive and a pull shot off consecutive Carse balls to reach his 50 runs.

Following his absence from the opening day of this game with a illness and made only the smallest of efforts to the second day, Brydon Carse bowled superbly when finally afforded the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Cox part of his three dismissals.

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