Ollie Pope Cements Position to England's No 3 Spot with Impressive 90 Against Lions

It is difficult to determine how relevant of England's warm-up fixture will prove important when their Ashes campaign kicks off not far at the Perth venue on the coming Friday – a brief gap in space or time but ages away in significance and atmosphere – but if it accomplished solely boosting Ollie Pope's confidence, that alone has made the exercise valuable.

England's number three batsman – that point is undoubtedly completely established – built on his initial innings hundred by adding a further 90 in the follow-up innings, and what was impressive was not merely the number of runs but the style in which they were scored. On occasion the young batsman seemed commanding, smashing a twelve fours and a two of sixes, connecting with the ball sweetly but with fierce purpose.

This was merely a exhibition game versus a England Lions team that used a total of 11 pitchers during a game played in amid a small group of people in a local ground, but it was nonetheless hugely noteworthy. For the record, England, chasing of 202 following the Lions ended their follow-on innings on 251 for six, succeeded by five wickets when Smith hurried the team past the finish line with a stream of boundaries.

Crawley and Duckett, the other two significant first-innings' performers, both fell short in the follow-up, while Root made several more runs – 31 on this instance – but was far from more convincing, prior to being confused and duly out by Will Jacks. Harry Brook met an identical end a little later.

Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the fixture having delivered 12 overs for both teams – will have found some of the strokes he faced quite hostile. His opening six overs versus the Lions cost 56, with McKinney taking advantage to bowling that if not entirely poor was surely not very threatening.

At the end the sixth spell of those deliveries, the English side's remaining three bowlers had conceded roughly the equivalent number of points – 57 – from 15, though the bowler turned a somewhat less generous later on, conceding 27 from his final six. He claimed one wicket, taking a sharp, low snare, leaning to his right side, to conclude Jacob Bethell's knock for 70, from 80 balls.

Bethell, making up for managing just three in the first innings, was among a trio of half-centurions in the Lions team's leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's returns from opening batsman were more consistent than those from their No 3: he made 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their second, facing 61 deliveries to reach his 50 runs, with five boundaries and two six-hit shots, the pair from Bashir's pitching. Bethell got to 68 before a mis-hit to Stokes at cover position, who made a bending catch at ankle height.

Jordan Cox showed like consistency, and followed his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at about a run per delivery. He played some remarkably handsome hits en route, featuring a drive down the ground and a hook against back-to-back Carse deliveries to achieve his 50 runs.

Following his absence from the initial day of this fixture with a stomach upset and made only the most minor of inputs to the follow-up, Brydon Carse delivered brilliantly when eventually afforded the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Cox among his three scalps.

This report will update