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

It's difficult to determine how significant of the English team's practice game will prove important when their Ashes series contest begins not far at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a short span in space or time but ages away in import and environment – but if it managed solely enhancing Pope's self-belief, that by itself has made the exercise worthwhile.

The English side's No 3 – that point is surely completely established – built on his first-innings ton by scoring a further 90 in the second innings, and what was notable was less about the total of runs but the manner in which they were accumulated. On occasion the player appeared imperious, striking a dozen boundaries and a couple of maximums, connecting with the ball sweetly but with devilish purpose.

This was merely a friendly versus a Lions team that deployed a total of 11 bowlers during a contest played in amid a handful of onlookers in a local ground, but it was nevertheless extremely praiseworthy. For the record, England, chasing of 202 following the Lions closed their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand once Smith hurried the team over the winning target with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Ben Duckett, the two other big first-innings achievers, both failed in the follow-up, while Root scored several more points – 31 on this occasion – but was not significantly more convincing, then being bemused and accordingly bowled by Will Jacks. Harry Brook suffered an identical fate soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the game having delivered 12 overs for both teams – will have found a portion of the strokes he confronted quite hostile. His opening six overs versus the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney feasting to pitching that if not entirely wayward was surely far from intimidating.

At the end the sixth spell of that period, England's three other pitchers had conceded roughly the same number of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a little less leaky in time, allowing 27 from his last six. He took a single wicket, taking a smart, diving grab, falling to his right side, to end Bethell's batting stint for 70, from 80 balls.

Bethell, redeeming managing only a small score in the opening knock, was one of three players half-centurions in the Lions team's top order. McKinney's scores from opener were more reliable than those of their number three: he notched 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their second, facing 61 balls to reach his 50 runs, with five and two sixes, both from Bashir's's deliveries. Bethell made 68 before a poor shot to Stokes at cover, who made a bending grab at ankle height.

Cox exhibited comparable reliability, and followed his first-innings 53 with another 57, at slightly more than a run per delivery. There were a few remarkably handsome strokes during his innings, including a drive down the ground and a pull shot from consecutive Carse deliveries to achieve his fifty.

Following his absence from the first day of this fixture with a stomach issue and contributed merely the smallest of contributions to the second day, Carse pitched brilliantly when finally given the shot, with Ben McKinney and Cox among his three wickets.

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