Pope Strengthens Position to England Cricket's Number Three Slot with Strong 90 Against Lions

It's tough to determine how significant of England's preparatory match will be remotely meaningful when their Ashes series battle kicks off 10km away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – no distance in geography or duration but worlds away in import and atmosphere – but if it achieved nothing more than boosting Ollie Pope's confidence, that alone has rendered the endeavor beneficial.

England's No 3 – that point is certainly completely certain – built on his initial innings ton by notching another 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was remarkable was less about the total of scored runs but the way in which they were accumulated. On occasion the young batsman appeared dominant, smashing a dozen boundaries and a two of sixes, hitting the ball perfectly but with fierce purpose.

It was just a exhibition game against a Lions squad that used a total of 11 bowlers throughout a contest staged in front of a few dozen of people in a public park, but it was still extremely noteworthy. To note, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions closed their second innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets in hand once Smith hurried the team over the finish line with a series of boundaries.

Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two big first-innings' successes, both failed in the second innings, while Joe Root added additional points – 31 on this instance – but was far from more dominant, then being puzzled and subsequently dismissed by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an identical fate soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the game having bowled 12 overs for both teams – will have faced some of the strokes he bowled to pretty hostile. His first six overs against the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not entirely poor was certainly not very dangerous.

At the end the sixth over of those overs, England's three other pitchers had conceded almost precisely the equivalent amount of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a somewhat less giving as time passed, giving up 27 from his last six. He secured one dismissal, making a smart, low snare, leaning to his right side, to conclude Bethell's batting stint for 70, off 80 balls.

Bethell, redeeming managing just three runs in the first innings, was among three players players with fifties in the Lions team's top order. McKinney's returns from opener were more reliable than the scores of their No 3: he notched 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their second innings, using 61 deliveries to reach his 50 runs, with five and two sixes, both from Bashir's's bowling. Jacob Bethell got to 68 prior to a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who took a low catch at ankle height.

Cox displayed comparable reliability, and followed his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at slightly more than a run a ball. He played a few remarkably handsome strokes on the way, including a drive down the ground and a pull shot from back-to-back Carse deliveries to achieve his 50 runs.

Following his absence from the opening day of this match with a illness and provided only the smallest of contributions to the follow-up, Brydon Carse pitched superbly when eventually given the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox included in his three wickets.

This report may be updated