Ollie Pope Reinforces Claim to England Cricket's Number Three Slot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It's difficult to gauge how much of the English team's practice fixture will end up being important when their Ashes campaign starts 10km away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but light years away in significance and environment – but if it accomplished only strengthening Pope's assurance, that alone has made the effort worthwhile.

The English side's number three batsman – that point is certainly totally established – followed his first-innings hundred by notching an additional 90 in the follow-up innings, and the most impressive was not merely the number of scored runs but the manner in which they were made. Periodically the player appeared commanding, hitting a dozen boundaries and a couple of maximums, timing the ball sweetly but with fierce determination.

This was only a friendly against a England Lions squad that employed exactly 11 bowlers during a match staged in before a small group of people in a local ground, but it was nevertheless very noteworthy. To note, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand when Smith raced the team past the conclusion with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the remaining significant first-innings successes, both fell short in the follow-up, while Root made additional points – 31 on this instance – but was far from more dominant, then being puzzled and accordingly out by Jacks. Harry Brook suffered an similar fate a little later.

Bashir – who concluded the game having bowled 12 bowling spells for both teams – will have found some of the hitting he faced quite aggressive. His first six deliveries against the Lions went for 56, with McKinney feasting to pitching that if not exactly loose was surely far from intimidating.

After the sixth over of that period, the English side's three other pitchers had conceded roughly the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir turned a slightly less giving as time passed, conceding 27 from his final six. He claimed one wicket, holding a clever, diving grab, falling to his right side, to conclude Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Bethell, redeeming scoring just three in the opening knock, was one of three players fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top four. Ben McKinney's performances from opening batsman were steadier than those of their number three: he made 66 in their first innings and improved by two in their second, using 61 deliveries to reach his half-century, with five and a couple sixes, both against Bashir's deliveries. Bethell made 68 then a poor shot to Stokes at cover, who made a bending catch at ankle height.

Cox exhibited similar consistency, and built on his first-innings 53 with an additional 57, at about a run a ball. There were several exceptionally handsome hits on the way, featuring a drive down the ground and a pull shot against back-to-back Carse balls to reach his half century.

Following his absence from the opening day of this game with a illness and contributed just the smallest of contributions to the second day, Carse delivered brilliantly when eventually given the opportunity, with McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

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