Ollie Pope Reinforces Claim to England Cricket's No 3 Slot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It is tough to determine how much of the English team's warm-up match will be remotely important when their Ashes battle kicks off a short distance away at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – no distance in space or time but light years away in import and mood – but if it accomplished solely strengthening Pope's assurance, that on its own has made the effort valuable.

England's No 3 – that much is certainly completely certain – built on his initial innings ton by adding a further 90 in the second, and what was impressive was less about the quantity of runs but the style in which they were scored. On occasion the young batsman seemed dominant, striking a twelve fours and a two of sixes, connecting with the ball perfectly but with devilish purpose.

This was only a exhibition game against a Lions team that deployed exactly 11 bowlers throughout a contest staged in amid a small group of people in a public park, but it was nonetheless extremely noteworthy. Officially, England, set a target of 202 after the Lions ended their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand after Jamie Smith hurried the team past the finish line with a series of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two big first-innings' successes, both were dismissed in the second knock, while Joe Root scored several more points – 31 on this occasion – but was not significantly more convincing, before being bemused and accordingly dismissed by Will Jacks. Brook experienced an identical fate soon afterwards.

Bashir – who finished the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for either team – will have faced a portion of the strokes he bowled to pretty hostile. His opening six overs versus the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not exactly poor was definitely not overly dangerous.

By the conclusion the sixth spell of those overs, the English side's three other pitchers had conceded roughly the identical amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a little less giving in time, giving up 27 from his last six. He claimed one dismissal, taking a smart, low-down grab, falling to his right side, to finish Bethell's batting stint for 70, from 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for scoring just three runs in the opening knock, was one of three players fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top four. Ben McKinney's performances from opener were more reliable than the scores of their No 3: he scored 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their second, using 61 balls to reach his fifty, with five and a couple maximums, each off Bashir's deliveries. Jacob Bethell made 68 before a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover position, who took a low catch at ankle height.

Jordan Cox displayed like consistency, and backed up his first-innings 53 with an additional 57, at about a run a ball. He produced several outstandingly beautiful shots during his innings, featuring a straight drive and a pull from consecutive Carse deliveries to reach his fifty.

Following his absence from the initial day of this match with a stomach upset and made merely the smallest of contributions to the second, Brydon Carse bowled superbly when eventually afforded the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Cox part of his three dismissals.

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