Ollie Pope Reinforces Claim to England's Number Three Role with Impressive 90 Against Lions

It's difficult to determine how significant of England's practice fixture will prove important when their Ashes battle starts a short distance away at Perth Stadium on Friday – no distance in geography or duration but light years away in significance and environment – but if it accomplished only enhancing Ollie Pope's assurance, that by itself has rendered the exercise worthwhile.

The English side's number three batsman – this fact is undoubtedly absolutely established – followed his initial innings century by adding a further 90 in the second, and what was impressive was less about the quantity of runs but the manner in which they were scored. On occasion the young batsman appeared imperious, hitting a dozen fours and a pair of maximums, hitting the ball perfectly but with aggressive purpose.

It was only a practice match against a England Lions team that deployed exactly 11 pitchers across a contest staged in before a handful of spectators in a open field, but it was nevertheless hugely impressive. To note, the England team, set a target of 202 following the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets in hand after Jamie Smith hurried the team past the winning target with a stream of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two major first-innings' achievers, both failed in the second innings, while Joe Root scored further runs – 31 on this occasion – but was far from more dominant, then being puzzled and duly bowled by Jacks. Brook experienced an similar outcome soon afterwards.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the fixture having delivered 12 bowling spells for both teams – will have faced part of the batting he confronted rather challenging. His first six deliveries against the Lions went for 56, with McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not exactly poor was certainly far from dangerous.

At the end the sixth spell of those overs, England's three other bowlers had conceded roughly the same amount of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a little less giving later on, giving up 27 from his last six. He secured one dismissal, taking a smart, low-down grab, leaning to his right, to end Jacob Bethell's innings for 70, from 80 deliveries.

Bethell, making up for scoring only three runs in the opening knock, was a member of three players with fifties in the Lions' top order. McKinney's performances from opener were steadier than the scores of their No 3: he made 66 in their initial knock and improved by two in their second innings, taking 61 deliveries to reach his half-century, with five fours and two sixes, the pair off Bashir's's bowling. Bethell made 68 before a poor shot to Stokes at cover position, who made a bending catch at low down.

Jordan Cox exhibited similar steadiness, and backed up his first-innings 53 with another 57, at slightly more than a run per delivery. There were several outstandingly beautiful shots en route, such as a drive down the ground and a pull off back-to-back Carse deliveries to achieve his half century.

Having missed the first day of this game with a stomach issue and provided only the most minor of inputs to the second day, Carse bowled excellently when eventually provided the chance, with Ben McKinney and Cox part of his three dismissals.

This report may be updated