Pope Reinforces Claim to England Cricket's No 3 Spot with Impressive 90 Versus Lions

It is tough to know how significant of England's preparatory fixture will prove important when their Ashes campaign kicks off a short distance away at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – no distance in space or time but ages away in import and atmosphere – but if it accomplished nothing more than boosting Ollie Pope's self-belief, that on its own has made the endeavor beneficial.

England's No 3 – this fact is surely completely established – followed his first-innings ton by notching another 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was remarkable was less about the quantity of scored runs but the style in which they were made. On occasion the young batsman looked imperious, smashing a dozen fours and a couple of sixes, timing the ball perfectly but with devilish purpose.

It was merely a friendly against a England Lions side that employed a total of 11 bowlers throughout a contest played in amid a handful of spectators in a open field, but it was nevertheless hugely impressive. Officially, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions ended their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand when Smith sped the team past the finish line with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the two other major first-innings' successes, both failed in the second knock, while Root made additional points – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more dominant, then being confused and duly dismissed by Jacks. Harry Brook met an same end a little later.

Bashir – who ended the match having bowled 12 bowling spells for both teams – will have found part of the batting he confronted quite challenging. His first six overs versus the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to deliveries that if not completely poor was definitely not very intimidating.

By the conclusion the sixth of that period, the English side's three other bowlers had given away almost precisely the identical total of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir turned a little less generous as time passed, conceding 27 from his last six. He claimed a single wicket, taking a clever, diving snare, falling to his right side, to finish Bethell's innings for 70, facing 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing merely three runs in the initial innings, was one of three players half-centurions in the Lions team's top order. Ben McKinney's performances from opening batsman were steadier than those of their number three: he scored 66 in their first innings and went two better in their second, facing 61 deliveries over his fifty, with five boundaries and two sixes, both off Bashir's's bowling. Bethell reached 68 then a poor shot to Stokes at cover, who took a bending grab at low down.

Cox displayed like consistency, and built on his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. He produced several exceptionally beautiful strokes during his innings, including a drive down the ground and a hook off consecutive Brydon Carse deliveries to attain his half century.

After missing the first day of this match with a stomach upset and made merely the most minor of inputs to the second, Brydon Carse pitched brilliantly when finally afforded the chance, with McKinney and Jordan Cox among his three scalps.

This report will update