Ollie Pope Strengthens Position to England Cricket's No 3 Slot with Bold 90 Against Lions

It is difficult to determine how significant of England's preparatory fixture will end up being meaningful when their Ashes series campaign kicks off a short distance away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but light years away in importance and atmosphere – but if it managed only enhancing Ollie Pope's confidence, that on its own has made the effort beneficial.

England's No 3 – that much is surely totally clear – built on his initial innings ton by notching another 90 in the second, and what was notable was not so much the number of scored runs but the manner in which they were made. At times the young batsman appeared dominant, hitting a twelve fours and a couple of maximums, hitting the ball beautifully but with fierce purpose.

It was only a exhibition game against a Lions squad that employed exactly 11 bowlers during a contest played in before a small group of spectators in a public park, but it was nonetheless extremely praiseworthy. To note, the England team, set a target of 202 following the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets when Jamie Smith hurried the team over the conclusion with a stream of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two big first-innings' successes, both were dismissed in the second knock, while Joe Root scored several more runs – 31 on this instance – but was not enormously more dominant, then being confused and subsequently dismissed by Jacks. Brook experienced an same end a little later.

Bashir – who ended the game having bowled 12 overs for each side – will have found part of the batting he faced rather hostile. His opening six deliveries versus the Lions conceded 56, with McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not entirely loose was definitely far from intimidating.

By the conclusion the sixth spell of that period, the English side's other pitchers had allowed nearly exactly the identical total of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir grew a slightly less leaky later on, allowing 27 from his final six. He claimed one dismissal, holding a sharp, low catch, leaning to his right, to end Bethell's knock for 70, facing 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing merely a small score in the first innings, was one of a trio of fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top order. McKinney's performances from opener were more reliable than those from their No 3: he scored 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their follow-up, taking 61 deliveries for his fifty, with five boundaries and two six-hit shots, each from Bashir's's bowling. Bethell reached 68 then a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a low grab at shin level.

Jordan Cox showed like steadiness, and built on his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. There were some outstandingly handsome shots on the way, including a straight hit and a hook off successive Carse deliveries to reach his 50 runs.

Following his absence from the opening day of this game with a stomach issue and contributed only the most minor of inputs to the second day, Brydon Carse delivered excellently when eventually given the chance, with McKinney and Jordan Cox among his three wickets.

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