Pope Strengthens Position to England's No 3 Slot with Bold 90 Against Lions

It's hard to determine how significant of England's preparatory game will prove relevant when their Ashes campaign kicks off a short distance away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but ages away in significance and environment – but if it achieved nothing more than boosting Ollie Pope's confidence, that on its own has made the exercise valuable.

England's No 3 – that point is undoubtedly absolutely clear – built on his first-innings ton by notching a further 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was notable was not so much the quantity of scored runs but the manner in which they were scored. On occasion the young batsman looked imperious, smashing a dozen boundaries and a two of maximums, connecting with the ball perfectly but with devilish purpose.

This was only a exhibition game versus a Lions team that employed fully 11 pitchers during a game held in before a handful of people in a public park, but it was nevertheless hugely praiseworthy. To note, the England team, chasing of 202 once the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets when Jamie Smith raced the team over the finish line with a series of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two significant first-innings achievers, both failed in the follow-up, while Joe Root made further points – 31 on this instance – but was far from more convincing, then being confused and duly bowled by Will Jacks. Brook suffered an same end a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the match having bowled 12 overs for either team – will have encountered a portion of the hitting he bowled to rather challenging. His opening six deliveries against the Lions conceded 56, with McKinney feasting to bowling that if not completely wayward was definitely not very dangerous.

By the conclusion the sixth spell of those overs, the English side's other bowlers had allowed nearly exactly the equivalent number of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a little less generous as time passed, giving up 27 from his last six. He took one wicket, holding a clever, diving snare, leaning to his right side, to conclude Bethell's knock for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Bethell, making up for managing merely three runs in the initial innings, was one of a trio of fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top order. McKinney's scores from opening batsman were more consistent than those of their number three: he notched 66 in their initial knock and scored 68 in their second innings, using 61 deliveries over his half-century, with five fours and two sixes, both off Bashir's deliveries. Bethell reached 68 then a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who held a low catch at ankle height.

Jordan Cox displayed similar reliability, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at slightly more than a scoring rate of one. He produced some outstandingly handsome strokes en route, including a straight hit and a pull shot off consecutive Brydon Carse deliveries to reach his fifty.

Following his absence from the initial day of this fixture with a stomach issue and made just the least significant of efforts to the follow-up, Brydon Carse pitched brilliantly when at last given the shot, with Ben McKinney and Cox among his three wickets.

The update could change