Pope Cements Position to England Cricket's No 3 Spot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It is tough to know how much of England's preparatory match will prove meaningful when their Ashes campaign starts 10km away at Perth Stadium on Friday – no distance in geography or duration but ages away in import and environment – but if it achieved solely enhancing Pope's self-belief, that by itself has made the exercise worthwhile.

The English side's No 3 – this fact is surely absolutely clear – built on his first-innings century by adding another 90 in the second innings, and what was impressive was less about the total of runs but the style in which they were made. Periodically the player appeared commanding, smashing a dozen boundaries and a two of sixes, connecting with the ball beautifully but with aggressive purpose.

This was just a friendly versus a England Lions side that used fully 11 bowlers during a match staged in before a few dozen of spectators in a local ground, but it was nevertheless hugely praiseworthy. For the record, England, needing of 202 following the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets in hand once Smith sped the team past the finish line with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two big first-innings' performers, both fell short in the second innings, while Root scored additional points – 31 on this time – but was not significantly more assured, before being puzzled and accordingly out by Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an similar outcome a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the game having delivered 12 bowling spells for each side – will have found some of the strokes he confronted pretty challenging. His first six overs against the Lions conceded 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not completely poor was definitely not overly dangerous.

By the conclusion the sixth over of those overs, England's other bowlers had allowed nearly exactly the equivalent number of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a somewhat less giving as time passed, conceding 27 from his last six. He took one wicket, making a sharp, low-down catch, diving to his right side, to finish Bethell's knock for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Bethell, redeeming scoring only three in the first innings, was among three players fifty-scorers in the Lions' top four. McKinney's returns from opener were steadier than those from their No 3: he scored 66 in their initial knock and scored 68 in their second, using 61 deliveries for his half-century, with five boundaries and two six-hit shots, the pair from Bashir's bowling. Jacob Bethell reached 68 before a poor shot to Stokes at cover, who took a low catch at ankle height.

Jordan Cox showed similar steadiness, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. There were a few outstandingly beautiful shots during his innings, including a drive down the ground and a pull shot from back-to-back Carse deliveries to reach his half century.

Following his absence from the initial day of this fixture with a stomach issue and provided merely the most minor of contributions to the follow-up, Brydon Carse pitched brilliantly when eventually provided the opportunity, with McKinney and Cox part of his three scalps.

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