Ollie Pope Reinforces Status to England Cricket's Number Three Slot with Bold 90 Against Lions

It's hard to gauge how significant of the English team's practice game will be remotely relevant when their Ashes series battle starts 10km away at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a brief gap in space or time but light years away in import and mood – but if it managed solely boosting Pope's self-belief, that on its own has made the exercise valuable.

England's number three batsman – that much is surely absolutely established – followed his first-innings ton by adding another 90 in the second innings, and the truly impressive was not merely the total of runs but the way in which they were scored. Periodically the young batsman seemed imperious, striking a twelve boundaries and a pair of sixes, hitting the ball sweetly but with fierce purpose.

It was merely a friendly against a England Lions side that employed a total of 11 bowlers throughout a contest staged in amid a handful of people in a open field, but it was nonetheless extremely praiseworthy. To note, the England team, needing of 202 after the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets when Jamie Smith raced the team past the winning target with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the two other big first-innings' performers, both failed in the follow-up, while Joe Root made further runs – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more convincing, then being puzzled and duly dismissed by Will Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an identical outcome soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the game having bowled 12 overs for both teams – will have found part of the batting he confronted rather challenging. His initial six deliveries versus the Lions went for 56, with McKinney feasting to deliveries that if not completely loose was definitely not very dangerous.

By the conclusion the sixth spell of that period, the English side's other pitchers had given away roughly the equivalent amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a slightly less generous as time passed, giving up 27 from his final six. He secured one dismissal, holding a smart, low-down snare, diving to his right, to finish Bethell's knock for 70, off 80 balls.

Bethell, compensating for managing just a small score in the initial innings, was one of three players half-centurions in the Lions' top four. McKinney's scores from opening batsman were steadier than the scores of their number three: he scored 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their second, using 61 balls over his 50 runs, with five boundaries and a couple six-hit shots, both off Bashir's deliveries. Bethell reached 68 then a mishit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a stooping catch at ankle height.

Jordan Cox exhibited similar steadiness, and backed up his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at about a run a ball. He produced some remarkably handsome strokes on the way, including a straight drive and a pull shot from back-to-back Carse balls to achieve his half century.

Following his absence from the opening day of this match with a stomach upset and made just the least significant of efforts to the second day, Brydon Carse bowled excellently when finally afforded the opportunity, with McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three dismissals.

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