Pope Reinforces Claim to England's No 3 Spot with Impressive 90 Against Lions

It's tough to determine how significant of England's warm-up game will prove meaningful when their Ashes series campaign kicks off 10km away at Perth Stadium on Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but worlds away in significance and mood – but if it accomplished only enhancing Pope's confidence, that by itself has rendered the exercise worthwhile.

The English side's number three batsman – that much is undoubtedly totally clear – followed his initial innings hundred by notching a further 90 in the second innings, and the truly remarkable was not so much the total of scored runs but the manner in which they were made. Periodically the 27-year-old appeared commanding, striking a twelve boundaries and a pair of maximums, timing the ball sweetly but with aggressive purpose.

This was merely a practice match against a Lions team that used fully 11 bowlers during a contest held in front of a few dozen of people in a public park, but it was nonetheless very noteworthy. For the record, England, chasing of 202 once the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets once Jamie Smith sped the team across the finish line with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the two other significant first-innings' achievers, both were dismissed in the second innings, while Root made several more points – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more assured, before being confused and duly dismissed by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an same fate shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the fixture having delivered 12 overs for both teams – will have found part of the batting he bowled to pretty challenging. His first six overs versus the Lions went for 56, with McKinney taking advantage to deliveries that if not entirely loose was definitely far from intimidating.

After the sixth of that period, the English side's remaining three pitchers had allowed roughly the same total of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler grew a slightly less leaky in time, giving up 27 from his final six. He claimed a single wicket, holding a sharp, low grab, diving to his right, to end Jacob Bethell's innings for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Bethell, compensating for achieving only a small score in the first innings, was one of three fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top four. Ben McKinney's performances from opening batsman were steadier than those from their number three: he made 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their follow-up, facing 61 balls to reach his 50 runs, with five and a couple maximums, each from Bashir's's pitching. Bethell got to 68 then a mis-hit to Stokes at cover, who held a stooping catch at low down.

Cox showed like consistency, and backed up his first-innings 53 with another 57, at about a scoring rate of one. He produced some remarkably handsome shots during his innings, including a straight hit and a pull shot off consecutive Brydon Carse balls to attain his fifty.

Following his absence from the first day of this game with a stomach upset and provided just the least significant of inputs to the second, Brydon Carse delivered brilliantly when eventually afforded the shot, with McKinney and Cox included in his three dismissals.

This report may be updated