Pope Reinforces Claim to England Cricket's No 3 Role with Impressive 90 Versus Lions

It's hard to know how significant of the English team's warm-up match will end up being important when their Ashes series contest begins not far at the Perth venue on Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but worlds away in significance and atmosphere – but if it achieved only enhancing Pope's confidence, that on its own has rendered the effort valuable.

The English side's No 3 – this fact is surely totally clear – followed his first-innings century by adding a further 90 in the second, and what was impressive was not so much the number of runs but the manner in which they were accumulated. On occasion the player seemed imperious, hitting a twelve fours and a two of maximums, hitting the ball beautifully but with devilish purpose.

This was just a friendly versus a England Lions squad that used a total of 11 bowlers throughout a game staged in before a handful of onlookers in a local ground, but it was nevertheless extremely impressive. Officially, the England team, chasing of 202 once the Lions declared their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets when Jamie Smith raced the team past the winning target with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the remaining big first-innings' successes, both were dismissed in the follow-up, while Root scored further runs – 31 on this time – but was far from more convincing, prior to being bemused and duly bowled by Will Jacks. Harry Brook experienced an identical fate soon afterwards.

Bashir – who concluded the game having delivered 12 bowling spells for both teams – will have faced a portion of the strokes he confronted pretty aggressive. His first six deliveries against the Lions went for 56, with Ben McKinney feasting to bowling that if not entirely wayward was surely far from intimidating.

By the conclusion the sixth over of those deliveries, the English side's remaining three pitchers had given away nearly exactly the identical amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler became a little less generous later on, allowing 27 from his remaining six. He claimed one dismissal, making a clever, diving snare, falling to his right side, to finish Bethell's innings for 70, facing 80 deliveries.

Jacob Bethell, compensating for managing only three in the initial innings, was among three players half-centurions in the Lions team's top four. McKinney's performances from opening batsman were steadier than those from their No 3: he made 66 in their first innings and scored 68 in their second, using 61 balls over his half-century, with five boundaries and a couple six-hit shots, each against Bashir's bowling. Bethell reached 68 prior to a mis-hit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a low grab at low down.

Jordan Cox displayed like consistency, and followed his initial innings' 53 with a further 57, at about a run per delivery. He produced a few exceptionally elegant hits on the way, featuring a straight hit and a pull from back-to-back Brydon Carse deliveries to reach his fifty.

Following his absence from the initial day of this game with a stomach issue and provided only the least significant of contributions to the second day, Carse bowled superbly when finally given the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox part of his three dismissals.

The coverage could change