Pope Strengthens Position to England's No 3 Spot with Strong 90 Against Lions

It is difficult to gauge how significant of England's practice match will end up being meaningful when their Ashes series battle begins not far at the Perth venue on Friday – a brief gap in space or time but light years away in import and mood – but if it accomplished solely boosting Pope's confidence, that by itself has rendered the effort valuable.

England's number three batsman – this fact is undoubtedly totally established – followed his first-innings hundred by scoring another 90 in the second, and the most remarkable was less about the total of runs but the style in which they were scored. At times the young batsman looked imperious, hitting a twelve boundaries and a two of maximums, hitting the ball beautifully but with fierce intent.

This was only a friendly versus a Lions team that used fully 11 bowlers throughout a game held in front of a handful of people in a local ground, but it was still hugely praiseworthy. For the record, England, chasing of 202 once the Lions closed their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand after Jamie Smith raced the team over the finish line with a stream of fours and sixes.

Crawley and Duckett, the remaining big first-innings successes, both were dismissed in the follow-up, while Root added additional points – 31 on this time – but was not enormously more assured, then being puzzled and accordingly dismissed by Jacks. Brook experienced an identical fate shortly after.

Shoaib Bashir – who finished the match having delivered 12 overs for both teams – will have encountered part of the hitting he bowled to pretty challenging. His opening six deliveries against the Lions conceded 56, with McKinney tucking in to pitching that if not entirely loose was surely far from threatening.

By the conclusion the sixth over of those deliveries, England's three other bowlers had allowed nearly exactly the identical number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler grew a slightly less giving as time passed, conceding 27 from his final six. He secured one dismissal, taking a smart, low-down grab, falling to his right, to conclude Bethell's knock for 70, off 80 deliveries.

Bethell, redeeming scoring just three in the opening knock, was among three players half-centurions in the Lions team's leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's scores from opening batsman were steadier than those of their No 3: he notched 66 in their first innings and went two better in their second innings, facing 61 deliveries for his 50 runs, with five boundaries and a couple sixes, each from Bashir's bowling. Jacob Bethell got to 68 then a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who took a bending grab at low down.

Cox showed similar reliability, and backed up his first-innings 53 with another 57, at about a run a ball. There were several exceptionally beautiful shots during his innings, including a straight hit and a pull shot from consecutive Carse deliveries to achieve his 50 runs.

After missing the first day of this match with a illness and provided only the most minor of contributions to the second day, Carse pitched superbly when finally provided the shot, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three wickets.

The update will update