Ollie Pope Cements Position to England's No 3 Spot with Bold 90 Versus Lions

It's tough to gauge how significant of the English team's preparatory fixture will end up being relevant when their Ashes series battle starts not far at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – a short span in geography or duration but worlds away in significance and atmosphere – but if it achieved only enhancing Ollie Pope's confidence, that by itself has rendered the exercise worthwhile.

The English side's No 3 – that point is undoubtedly totally certain – built on his first-innings hundred by notching a further 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was impressive was not merely the quantity of runs but the manner in which they were scored. On occasion the player looked imperious, smashing a twelve fours and a two of maximums, connecting with the ball perfectly but with fierce purpose.

It was only a friendly against a England Lions squad that employed exactly 11 pitchers during a match staged in amid a small group of onlookers in a public park, but it was still very praiseworthy. For the record, England, chasing of 202 following the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand after Smith sped the team past the winning target with a series of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the remaining significant first-innings' achievers, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Joe Root made additional points – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more assured, then being puzzled and duly bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook met an same fate soon afterwards.

Bashir – who ended the game having delivered 12 bowling spells for both teams – will have found a portion of the batting he confronted quite hostile. His opening six overs versus the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney tucking in to pitching that if not entirely wayward was definitely not very intimidating.

After the sixth spell of those overs, England's remaining three bowlers had allowed roughly the equivalent number of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a slightly less leaky in time, conceding 27 from his final six. He took one wicket, taking a clever, diving snare, diving to his right side, to end Bethell's knock for 70, facing 80 balls.

Bethell, redeeming achieving just a small score in the initial innings, was one of three half-centurions in the Lions team's top order. Ben McKinney's performances from opener were steadier than those from their No 3: he scored 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their second, facing 61 balls for his fifty, with five fours and a couple six-hit shots, each off Bashir's bowling. Bethell made 68 before a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover, who held a stooping grab at shin level.

Cox showed comparable consistency, and followed his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at slightly more than a scoring rate of one. He produced a few remarkably beautiful hits on the way, such as a straight drive and a pull off successive Brydon Carse deliveries to reach his half century.

Following his absence from the initial day of this game with a stomach upset and provided merely the most minor of inputs to the follow-up, Brydon Carse pitched superbly when eventually given the shot, with McKinney and Cox part of his three wickets.

The coverage will update