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

It's difficult to gauge how relevant of England's preparatory fixture will end up being important when their Ashes series campaign starts a short distance away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – no distance in space or time but light years away in significance and environment – but if it accomplished nothing more than boosting Ollie Pope's assurance, that on its own has rendered the exercise beneficial.

The English side's No 3 – this fact is surely absolutely clear – built on his initial innings ton by notching another 90 in the second innings, and the truly remarkable was not merely the number of runs but the style in which they were accumulated. Periodically the 27-year-old seemed commanding, smashing a dozen fours and a pair of maximums, connecting with the ball sweetly but with fierce purpose.

It was merely a practice match versus a Lions squad that deployed exactly 11 bowlers throughout a contest staged in before a few dozen of people in a public park, but it was still extremely noteworthy. For the record, England, needing of 202 after the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand when Jamie Smith hurried the team over the winning target with a series of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the remaining big first-innings' successes, both fell short in the second knock, while Root added further runs – 31 on this instance – but was far from more dominant, before being confused and subsequently out by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an identical outcome soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the fixture having bowled 12 bowling spells for either team – will have encountered a portion of the batting he bowled to quite challenging. His opening six deliveries versus the Lions went for 56, with McKinney feasting to pitching that if not entirely poor was definitely far from threatening.

By the conclusion the sixth of that period, England's remaining three pitchers had given away nearly exactly the identical amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a slightly less leaky later on, allowing 27 from his final six. He secured one wicket, taking a clever, low snare, leaning to his right side, to finish Bethell's innings for 70, facing 80 balls.

Bethell, compensating for scoring just three runs in the first innings, was among a trio of fifty-scorers in the Lions' top four. McKinney's scores from opener were more consistent than those of their No 3: he made 66 in their initial knock and scored 68 in their follow-up, taking 61 deliveries for his fifty, with five fours and two six-hit shots, both off Bashir's's pitching. Bethell made 68 prior to a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who made a bending catch at low down.

Jordan Cox displayed comparable steadiness, and followed his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at slightly more than a scoring rate of one. He played a few outstandingly beautiful hits during his innings, including a straight hit and a hook against consecutive Brydon Carse balls to achieve his half century.

Following his absence from the initial day of this fixture with a stomach issue and contributed only the most minor of contributions to the second, Brydon Carse delivered excellently when eventually afforded the shot, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three scalps.

The coverage may be updated