Ollie Pope Cements Claim to England's Number Three Role with Impressive 90 Versus Lions

It's hard to determine how significant of the English team's practice game will be remotely relevant when their Ashes campaign starts not far at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a short span in space or time but light years away in significance and environment – but if it achieved only enhancing Ollie Pope's confidence, that by itself has rendered the exercise beneficial.

England's No 3 – that point is certainly absolutely certain – built on his initial innings ton by adding a further 90 in the second, and what was remarkable was not merely the total of scored runs but the manner in which they were scored. On occasion the young batsman looked dominant, hitting a dozen boundaries and a two of maximums, timing the ball sweetly but with devilish intent.

This was just a practice match versus a Lions side that employed exactly 11 pitchers across a game held in before a few dozen of onlookers in a public park, but it was still hugely impressive. Officially, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand when Smith sped the team across the finish line with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two significant first-innings successes, both were dismissed in the follow-up, while Joe Root made further points – 31 on this time – but was not significantly more convincing, before being bemused and accordingly bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an same outcome shortly after.

Bashir – who concluded the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for each side – will have encountered part of the batting he faced pretty challenging. His first six overs versus the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not exactly poor was surely not overly threatening.

After the sixth over of that period, the English side's three other pitchers had conceded almost precisely the identical amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir turned a little less giving as time passed, allowing 27 from his final six. He secured a single wicket, taking a sharp, low-down catch, diving to his right, to finish Bethell's batting stint for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Bethell, compensating for managing only three runs in the initial innings, was among three players fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top order. McKinney's performances from opener were more consistent than the scores of their No 3: he notched 66 in their initial knock and improved by two in their second, facing 61 balls for his fifty, with five fours and two sixes, both from Bashir's's bowling. Jacob Bethell reached 68 before a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who took a bending grab at ankle height.

Jordan Cox exhibited comparable consistency, and built on his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at just over a run a ball. There were a few remarkably beautiful hits during his innings, including a straight hit and a pull off back-to-back Carse deliveries to achieve his fifty.

Having missed the initial day of this fixture with a illness and made just the least significant of contributions to the follow-up, Brydon Carse delivered excellently when finally given the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Cox among his three dismissals.

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