Pope Strengthens Status to England's No 3 Role with Strong 90 Versus Lions

It is hard to determine how much of England's practice match will prove relevant when their Ashes contest starts 10km away at Perth Stadium on the coming Friday – no distance in geography or duration but light years away in significance and environment – but if it managed solely enhancing Pope's self-belief, that on its own has made the effort valuable.

The English side's number three batsman – that much is undoubtedly completely clear – built on his first-innings hundred by adding a further 90 in the second, and the most notable was less about the total of runs but the way in which they were accumulated. At times the 27-year-old looked dominant, smashing a dozen boundaries and a two of maximums, hitting the ball perfectly but with aggressive intent.

This was just a exhibition game against a Lions squad that employed a total of 11 pitchers throughout a contest held in front of a small group of onlookers in a public park, but it was nevertheless hugely praiseworthy. To note, the England team, needing of 202 once the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, triumphed by a margin of five wickets after Smith raced the team across the finish line with a stream of fours and sixes.

Zak Crawley and Duckett, the other two big first-innings performers, both failed in the follow-up, while Joe Root scored further points – 31 on this occasion – but was not significantly more assured, then being bemused and duly dismissed by Jacks. Brook met an identical outcome a little later.

Bashir – who finished the game having delivered 12 bowling spells for either team – will have faced some of the batting he bowled to quite aggressive. His first six deliveries versus the Lions cost 56, with McKinney tucking in to pitching that if not exactly loose was definitely far from dangerous.

After the sixth spell of those overs, England's other pitchers had given away nearly exactly the identical amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though Bashir grew a somewhat less generous later on, giving up 27 from his last six. He took one dismissal, holding a clever, low snare, diving to his right, to conclude Jacob Bethell's batting stint for 70, facing 80 balls.

Bethell, making up for managing just three runs in the first innings, was among three players with fifties in the Lions team's top four. McKinney's scores from opener were more consistent than those of their number three: he made 66 in their initial knock and went two better in their second, using 61 balls for his half-century, with five boundaries and two sixes, the pair against Bashir's pitching. Bethell reached 68 then a mis-hit to Stokes at cover, who made a low catch at low down.

Cox exhibited similar reliability, and followed his initial innings' 53 with an additional 57, at just over a run per delivery. He produced some outstandingly elegant hits en route, such as a straight drive and a hook against successive Carse balls to achieve his half century.

Following his absence from the initial day of this fixture with a stomach upset and made merely the smallest of contributions to the second day, Brydon Carse delivered brilliantly when finally provided the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Jordan Cox among his three scalps.

The update could change