Ollie Pope Strengthens Claim to England Cricket's Number Three Role with Bold 90 Against Lions

It is hard to gauge how relevant of England's practice fixture will be remotely relevant when their Ashes series contest begins 10km away at Perth Stadium on Friday – a short span in geography or duration but ages away in importance and atmosphere – but if it accomplished nothing more than strengthening Ollie Pope's assurance, that by itself has made the effort beneficial.

England's No 3 – this fact is surely absolutely clear – built on his initial innings ton by adding a further 90 in the second, and what was remarkable was not so much the total of runs but the way in which they were made. At times the player appeared imperious, striking a dozen fours and a couple of sixes, connecting with the ball sweetly but with devilish intent.

It was merely a friendly versus a Lions team that used exactly 11 pitchers throughout a contest staged in before a few dozen of onlookers in a local ground, but it was nonetheless very noteworthy. For the record, the England team, needing of 202 once the Lions closed their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by a margin of five wickets after Jamie Smith raced the team past the finish line with a series of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the two other major first-innings' achievers, both fell short in the follow-up, while Root scored several more runs – 31 on this instance – but was far from more assured, then being confused and accordingly bowled by Will Jacks. Brook experienced an identical outcome a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the match having delivered 12 bowling spells for each side – will have encountered part of the batting he confronted rather hostile. His first six overs versus the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney feasting to deliveries that if not exactly wayward was certainly not overly dangerous.

At the end the sixth over of those overs, the English side's remaining three pitchers had conceded almost precisely the same total of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a somewhat less giving in time, conceding 27 from his final six. He took a single wicket, taking a clever, diving catch, diving to his right side, to conclude Jacob Bethell's innings for 70, off 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, redeeming achieving only three runs in the first innings, was among three fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top four. Ben McKinney's returns from opener were steadier than those of their number three: he made 66 in their first batting effort and improved by two in their second innings, facing 61 balls for his 50 runs, with five boundaries and two six-hit shots, the pair against Bashir's deliveries. Bethell got to 68 then a poor shot to Stokes at cover position, who made a bending catch at low down.

Jordan Cox showed similar steadiness, and built on his first-innings 53 with an additional 57, at just over a run per delivery. There were several exceptionally beautiful shots en route, including a straight hit and a pull against successive Carse deliveries to reach his half century.

Having missed the first day of this game with a illness and provided only the most minor of efforts to the follow-up, Carse delivered superbly when finally given the chance, with McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three scalps.

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