Pope Cements Claim to England Cricket's Number Three Slot with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It is difficult to know how much of the English team's practice game will end up being meaningful when their Ashes series campaign begins 10km away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – no distance in space or time but worlds away in import and environment – but if it managed only enhancing Pope's assurance, that on its own has rendered the exercise worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – that much is undoubtedly completely clear – built on his initial innings hundred by scoring another 90 in the second innings, and what was notable was not so much the total of scored runs but the style in which they were accumulated. Periodically the young batsman seemed commanding, hitting a dozen fours and a two of maximums, hitting the ball sweetly but with aggressive purpose.

It was just a friendly versus a England Lions squad that deployed a total of 11 bowlers throughout a match held in before a small group of spectators in a public park, but it was still hugely impressive. For the record, the England team, needing of 202 following the Lions ended their second innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets once Smith sped the team past the finish line with a series of boundaries.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the remaining major first-innings successes, both fell short in the second knock, while Joe Root added further points – 31 on this time – but was far from more convincing, before being confused and duly out by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an same end soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the game having bowled 12 bowling spells for both teams – will have encountered some of the hitting he faced quite aggressive. His initial six deliveries against the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney taking advantage to pitching that if not exactly poor was definitely not overly intimidating.

After the sixth over of those deliveries, the English side's three other pitchers had conceded nearly exactly the identical number of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a somewhat less leaky later on, allowing 27 from his remaining six. He took a single wicket, holding a smart, low snare, leaning to his right, to conclude Jacob Bethell's innings for 70, off 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, redeeming scoring just a small score in the opening knock, was a member of three players with fifties in the Lions' top four. McKinney's performances from opening batsman were more consistent than the scores of their number three: he notched 66 in their initial knock and scored 68 in their second innings, facing 61 balls to reach his half-century, with five and two sixes, each against Bashir's pitching. Bethell reached 68 then a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a stooping catch at shin level.

Jordan Cox showed comparable steadiness, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. He produced several exceptionally beautiful hits during his innings, including a straight hit and a hook from back-to-back Brydon Carse deliveries to attain his half century.

Having missed the first day of this match with a stomach upset and provided merely the smallest of inputs to the second, Brydon Carse bowled brilliantly when at last provided the shot, with McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.

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