Ollie Pope Cements Claim to England Cricket's Number Three Spot with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It is hard to determine how significant of the English team's practice game will be remotely important when their Ashes series battle begins not far at the Perth venue on Friday – no distance in geography or duration but ages away in significance and environment – but if it achieved solely enhancing Ollie Pope's self-belief, that alone has made the effort valuable.

England's No 3 – that point is undoubtedly absolutely certain – followed his first-innings hundred by notching another 90 in the follow-up innings, and the truly impressive was less about the number of runs but the way in which they were scored. On occasion the young batsman seemed dominant, smashing a twelve fours and a pair of sixes, connecting with the ball beautifully but with fierce determination.

This was only a practice match against a Lions squad that deployed a total of 11 pitchers across a match staged in before a few dozen of people in a local ground, but it was still very noteworthy. Officially, the England team, chasing of 202 following the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand once Jamie Smith hurried the team over the conclusion with a stream of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Ben Duckett, the two other significant first-innings performers, both were dismissed in the second knock, while Root added further points – 31 on this time – but was not enormously more assured, prior to being confused and duly out by Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an identical outcome shortly after.

Bashir – who finished the game having bowled 12 overs for both teams – will have found part of the batting he faced rather challenging. His opening six overs against the Lions went for 56, with McKinney feasting to bowling that if not entirely loose was definitely far from dangerous.

At the end the sixth over of that period, England's remaining three pitchers had conceded almost precisely the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir turned a little less generous in time, giving up 27 from his last six. He secured one wicket, taking a clever, low-down grab, falling to his right, to end Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing merely three in the initial innings, was among three half-centurions in the Lions' leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's performances from opening batsman were steadier than those of their No 3: he made 66 in their initial knock and improved by two in their follow-up, taking 61 deliveries for his half-century, with five boundaries and two six-hit shots, both off Bashir's's bowling. Jacob Bethell got to 68 prior to a mis-hit to Stokes at cover, who held a stooping catch at shin level.

Cox showed similar reliability, and built on his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at slightly more than a run a ball. He played several remarkably handsome shots en route, such as a drive down the ground and a pull shot against consecutive Brydon Carse balls to reach his 50 runs.

Having missed the first day of this fixture with a illness and made just the least significant of contributions to the second day, Brydon Carse delivered superbly when eventually afforded the shot, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox among his three wickets.

This report may be updated