Pope Strengthens Position to England's Number Three Spot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It's tough to determine how significant of the English team's preparatory match will be remotely important when their Ashes series campaign kicks off a short distance away at Perth Stadium on Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but light years away in importance and mood – but if it accomplished nothing more than strengthening Pope's assurance, that on its own has rendered the effort worthwhile.

England's No 3 – this fact is surely completely established – followed his first-innings century by adding an additional 90 in the second innings, and the truly remarkable was not so much the total of scored runs but the manner in which they were scored. At times the young batsman seemed commanding, smashing a twelve fours and a two of maximums, timing the ball beautifully but with aggressive intent.

This was just a exhibition game against a England Lions team that used fully 11 bowlers during a contest staged in before a handful of spectators in a public park, but it was nonetheless hugely noteworthy. Officially, England, set a target of 202 after the Lions ended their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by a margin of five wickets once Jamie Smith raced the team across the winning target with a series of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the other two major first-innings successes, both failed in the follow-up, while Root made several more runs – 31 on this occasion – but was not significantly more assured, prior to being bemused and subsequently bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an same end a little later.

Bashir – who ended the game having bowled 12 overs for both teams – will have found a portion of the strokes he faced quite aggressive. His opening six deliveries against the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not completely wayward was definitely far from dangerous.

After the sixth spell of those overs, the English side's remaining three pitchers had allowed almost precisely the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a somewhat less generous in time, allowing 27 from his last six. He claimed a single wicket, taking a smart, low catch, diving to his right side, to finish Bethell's innings for 70, from 80 balls.

Bethell, redeeming scoring merely a small score in the first innings, was one of three half-centurions in the Lions' leading batsmen. McKinney's returns from opening batsman were more consistent than those of their No 3: he made 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their second innings, facing 61 balls over his 50 runs, with five boundaries and two sixes, each off Bashir's's bowling. Jacob Bethell made 68 before a mishit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who took a bending catch at shin level.

Cox showed comparable steadiness, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. There were some remarkably handsome shots during his innings, such as a straight drive and a pull from consecutive Brydon Carse balls to achieve his fifty.

Having missed the initial day of this match with a stomach issue and provided only the smallest of efforts to the second, Carse delivered excellently when finally afforded the chance, with Ben McKinney and Cox among his three scalps.

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