Ollie Pope Strengthens Claim to England Cricket's Number Three Spot with Strong 90 Against Lions

It is difficult to gauge how significant of the English team's practice match will end up being relevant when their Ashes series contest starts a short distance away at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but light years away in significance and atmosphere – but if it managed only enhancing Ollie Pope's self-belief, that alone has rendered the endeavor beneficial.

England's No 3 – that much is certainly completely established – built on his first-innings century by notching a further 90 in the follow-up innings, and the truly impressive was not merely the total of runs but the manner in which they were scored. At times the young batsman appeared imperious, striking a twelve boundaries and a couple of sixes, timing the ball perfectly but with aggressive purpose.

This was merely a exhibition game against a Lions squad that used exactly 11 pitchers throughout a contest held in amid a handful of people in a open field, but it was still hugely noteworthy. For the record, England, chasing of 202 once the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand after Jamie Smith raced the team past the conclusion with a series of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the remaining major first-innings performers, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Root added further runs – 31 on this time – but was not enormously more dominant, prior to being confused and subsequently dismissed by Will Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an same end shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for either team – will have encountered part of the strokes he bowled to quite hostile. His first six overs versus the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney tucking in to pitching that if not entirely wayward was surely not very threatening.

At the end the sixth over of those overs, the English side's three other pitchers had conceded nearly exactly the equivalent total of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a little less giving later on, conceding 27 from his remaining six. He took a single wicket, holding a sharp, low-down snare, diving to his right, to conclude Bethell's batting stint for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing just a small score in the first innings, was among three players half-centurions in the Lions' leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's scores from opening batsman were steadier than those of their No 3: he notched 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their follow-up, taking 61 deliveries for his fifty, with five and two six-hit shots, the pair from Bashir's deliveries. Jacob Bethell got to 68 prior to a mis-hit to Stokes at cover, who held a bending grab at ankle height.

Jordan Cox exhibited similar reliability, and built on his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at about a scoring rate of one. He produced several outstandingly beautiful hits during his innings, featuring a straight hit and a pull shot from back-to-back Carse deliveries to reach his half century.

Following his absence from the opening day of this match with a illness and made just the smallest of efforts to the follow-up, Carse pitched superbly when finally given the opportunity, with McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

This report will update