Ollie Pope Cements Status to England Cricket's No 3 Slot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It is difficult to know how relevant of the English team's warm-up match will end up being relevant when their Ashes series campaign begins a short distance away at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a short span in space or time but ages away in significance and atmosphere – but if it achieved nothing more than boosting Ollie Pope's confidence, that alone has rendered the effort valuable.

The English side's No 3 – that point is certainly absolutely certain – built on his initial innings century by adding another 90 in the follow-up innings, and the most notable was not merely the total of scored runs but the way in which they were made. Periodically the young batsman appeared imperious, striking a twelve boundaries and a pair of maximums, connecting with the ball beautifully but with devilish intent.

This was merely a exhibition game versus a Lions team that employed a total of 11 bowlers across a game held in before a small group of spectators in a local ground, but it was still hugely praiseworthy. To note, the England team, chasing of 202 once the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets after Jamie Smith sped the team past the finish line with a stream of boundaries.

Crawley and Ben Duckett, the remaining major first-innings' achievers, both fell short in the follow-up, while Joe Root made further points – 31 on this time – but was far from more dominant, prior to being bemused and subsequently out by Jacks. Brook met an similar end soon afterwards.

Bashir – who ended the match having bowled 12 bowling spells for either team – will have faced some of the strokes he confronted pretty hostile. His first six overs against the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney feasting to bowling that if not entirely poor was definitely not overly intimidating.

By the conclusion the sixth of those overs, the English side's three other pitchers had given away almost precisely the equivalent total of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir turned a little less leaky later on, conceding 27 from his remaining six. He claimed a single wicket, holding a smart, diving grab, leaning to his right, to end Bethell's knock for 70, off 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for achieving just three runs in the initial innings, was among a trio of players with fifties in the Lions team's top four. McKinney's returns from opening batsman were more consistent than those from their number three: he made 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their second innings, using 61 balls over his half-century, with five and a couple sixes, both from Bashir's's deliveries. Jacob Bethell reached 68 then a poor shot to Stokes at cover position, who made a low grab at shin level.

Cox displayed similar steadiness, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at about a run a ball. There were some remarkably handsome strokes en route, featuring a drive down the ground and a pull from consecutive Brydon Carse balls to achieve his fifty.

Following his absence from the opening day of this fixture with a stomach upset and contributed just the smallest of efforts to the second, Brydon Carse pitched excellently when finally provided the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox included in his three scalps.

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