Pope Reinforces Claim to England's No 3 Spot with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It's tough to determine how significant of the English team's warm-up match will end up being meaningful when their Ashes series contest kicks off 10km away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but ages away in import and mood – but if it accomplished nothing more than strengthening Ollie Pope's self-belief, that by itself has made the exercise valuable.

England's No 3 – that much is surely completely established – built on his initial innings century by scoring a further 90 in the second innings, and the truly notable was less about the total of runs but the style in which they were made. At times the player seemed commanding, striking a dozen fours and a couple of sixes, hitting the ball beautifully but with aggressive intent.

This was only a exhibition game versus a England Lions side that used exactly 11 pitchers across a match held in amid a small group of people in a open field, but it was still very praiseworthy. To note, England, needing of 202 once the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by a margin of five wickets once Jamie Smith hurried the team across the winning target with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the remaining major first-innings performers, both fell short in the follow-up, while Joe Root scored several more runs – 31 on this instance – but was far from more convincing, then being confused and duly bowled by Will Jacks. Brook suffered an identical fate shortly after.

Bashir – who ended the match having delivered 12 bowling spells for both teams – will have found some of the hitting he faced rather hostile. His initial six overs versus the Lions cost 56, with McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not completely loose was certainly not very threatening.

After the sixth of those deliveries, the English side's remaining three pitchers had conceded almost precisely the equivalent amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a somewhat less generous as time passed, conceding 27 from his final six. He claimed a single wicket, making a smart, low-down snare, falling to his right side, to finish Bethell's innings for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Bethell, redeeming managing only a small score in the initial innings, was among a trio of fifty-scorers in the Lions' top four. Ben McKinney's returns from opener were more consistent than those of their No 3: he made 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their second innings, facing 61 balls to reach his half-century, with five and two sixes, both against Bashir's's bowling. Bethell got to 68 then a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover, who held a low catch at shin level.

Jordan Cox exhibited comparable steadiness, and built on his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at about a run a ball. There were several outstandingly beautiful hits during his innings, featuring a straight hit and a pull off consecutive Brydon Carse balls to achieve his 50 runs.

Having missed the initial day of this match with a stomach upset and provided just the smallest of inputs to the follow-up, Carse delivered excellently when at last afforded the shot, with McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

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