Pope Reinforces Status to England Cricket's Number Three Slot with Impressive 90 Versus Lions

It's tough to know how much of England's preparatory game will end up being meaningful when their Ashes series battle kicks off 10km away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but worlds away in significance and mood – but if it achieved only enhancing Pope's confidence, that alone has rendered the exercise worthwhile.

England's number three batsman – this fact is undoubtedly completely certain – built on his initial innings hundred by scoring a further 90 in the second innings, and the truly impressive was not so much the quantity of runs but the way in which they were accumulated. Periodically the player appeared imperious, striking a dozen fours and a two of sixes, timing the ball sweetly but with aggressive intent.

This was only a practice match versus a Lions side that deployed fully 11 bowlers throughout a match staged in front of a handful of onlookers in a local ground, but it was still hugely noteworthy. Officially, England, chasing of 202 following the Lions ended their second innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets once Jamie Smith sped the team across the finish line with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the other two big first-innings' successes, both fell short in the second knock, while Root made additional runs – 31 on this instance – but was not significantly more dominant, then being puzzled and accordingly bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an identical fate shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who ended the fixture having delivered 12 overs for each side – will have found part of the batting he bowled to pretty hostile. His initial six deliveries versus the Lions went for 56, with McKinney feasting to deliveries that if not entirely wayward was definitely not very threatening.

At the end the sixth over of that period, England's remaining three bowlers had conceded nearly exactly the identical total of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a little less leaky in time, giving up 27 from his final six. He secured a single wicket, holding a smart, low catch, diving to his right, to conclude Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, facing 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, redeeming scoring just a small score in the first innings, was one of a trio of players with fifties in the Lions team's top order. Ben McKinney's performances from opener were steadier than those from their number three: he scored 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their follow-up, facing 61 balls for his half-century, with five and two sixes, both from Bashir's deliveries. Bethell got to 68 prior to a mishit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a bending catch at low down.

Jordan Cox exhibited like steadiness, and backed up his first-innings 53 with a further 57, at slightly more than a run a ball. He played some outstandingly elegant strokes during his innings, including a straight drive and a hook against successive Carse deliveries to attain his 50 runs.

Having missed the initial day of this game with a stomach upset and provided merely the smallest of inputs to the second, Carse delivered brilliantly when eventually given the shot, with Ben McKinney and Cox part of his three wickets.

This report may be updated