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

It's tough to determine how much of the English team's preparatory fixture will end up being meaningful when their Ashes battle begins a short distance away at the Perth venue on Friday – no distance in space or time but ages away in importance and mood – but if it accomplished nothing more than enhancing Pope's confidence, that by itself has made the effort valuable.

The English side's number three batsman – that point is undoubtedly totally clear – followed his first-innings ton by scoring an additional 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was notable was less about the quantity of scored runs but the manner in which they were made. Periodically the 27-year-old appeared dominant, striking a dozen boundaries and a two of sixes, timing the ball perfectly but with devilish determination.

This was only a practice match versus a Lions side that used a total of 11 pitchers throughout a match held in front of a handful of people in a local ground, but it was nonetheless hugely praiseworthy. Officially, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, won by five wickets in hand after Jamie Smith raced the team past the winning target with a flurry of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the two other major first-innings' performers, both fell short in the second knock, while Root made additional points – 31 on this instance – but was not enormously more dominant, then being bemused and subsequently out by Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an similar outcome a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the fixture having bowled 12 bowling spells for both teams – will have found a portion of the hitting he bowled to pretty challenging. His initial six overs against the Lions cost 56, with McKinney feasting to bowling that if not exactly poor was surely not very intimidating.

After the sixth of those overs, the English side's remaining three pitchers had allowed almost precisely the same number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a little less generous later on, allowing 27 from his final six. He took one wicket, holding a smart, low-down snare, leaning to his right, to end Bethell's batting stint for 70, facing 80 balls.

Jacob Bethell, redeeming managing just a small score in the initial innings, was among three fifty-scorers in the Lions' top four. McKinney's performances from opener were steadier than those from their number three: he made 66 in their first innings and improved by two in their second innings, using 61 deliveries for his half-century, with five boundaries and two sixes, each off Bashir's bowling. Bethell got to 68 prior to a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover, who took a bending grab at shin level.

Cox showed similar consistency, and backed up his first-innings 53 with an additional 57, at about a scoring rate of one. He played a few exceptionally handsome shots during his innings, including a drive down the ground and a hook from back-to-back Brydon Carse deliveries to attain his 50 runs.

Having missed the first day of this match with a illness and provided just the most minor of contributions to the follow-up, Carse pitched superbly when finally provided the chance, with McKinney and Jordan Cox included in his three dismissals.

This report may be updated