Ollie Pope Strengthens Position to England's No 3 Role with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It's tough to determine how significant of the English team's preparatory fixture will end up being important when their Ashes series contest begins not far at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – no distance in geography or duration but worlds away in import and environment – but if it achieved nothing more than strengthening Ollie Pope's assurance, that alone has made the effort beneficial.

The English side's No 3 – that point is undoubtedly absolutely established – built on his initial innings hundred by adding another 90 in the second, and the most remarkable was less about the quantity of runs but the way in which they were scored. On occasion the 27-year-old seemed dominant, smashing a twelve fours and a couple of maximums, hitting the ball perfectly but with aggressive determination.

It was just a practice match versus a Lions squad that used exactly 11 pitchers across a game held in before a handful of spectators in a local ground, but it was nevertheless extremely praiseworthy. To note, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand after Jamie Smith sped the team across the conclusion with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the two other significant first-innings' performers, both fell short in the follow-up, while Root scored several more points – 31 on this instance – but was far from more dominant, then being bemused and subsequently dismissed by Will Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an similar end a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the match having bowled 12 overs for both teams – will have found a portion of the batting he confronted pretty aggressive. His opening six overs against the Lions cost 56, with McKinney feasting to deliveries that if not exactly wayward was certainly far from threatening.

At the end the sixth spell of that period, the English side's three other bowlers had conceded nearly exactly the same number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler grew a little less leaky later on, conceding 27 from his last six. He took one dismissal, holding a sharp, diving grab, diving to his right side, to finish Bethell's batting stint for 70, from 80 balls.

Bethell, redeeming achieving only three runs in the first innings, was a member of three half-centurions in the Lions' top four. McKinney's scores from opener were more consistent than those of their number three: he notched 66 in their initial knock and improved by two in their second, taking 61 balls for his half-century, with five boundaries and a couple sixes, each from Bashir's pitching. Jacob Bethell got to 68 before a mishit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who took a stooping catch at shin level.

Cox showed like reliability, and built on his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at just over a run a ball. There were a few remarkably beautiful shots on the way, featuring a straight drive and a pull against successive Brydon Carse balls to reach his fifty.

Having missed the opening day of this fixture with a stomach issue and made just the smallest of efforts to the second day, Brydon Carse bowled superbly when finally given the shot, with McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three wickets.

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