Pope Reinforces Status to England's No 3 Slot with Strong 90 Against Lions
It's hard to determine how significant of England's practice match will prove important when their Ashes series contest kicks off a short distance away at the Perth venue on Friday – a brief gap in geography or duration but light years away in import and environment – but if it achieved solely strengthening Ollie Pope's confidence, that alone has rendered the exercise valuable.
The English side's No 3 – that much is certainly absolutely clear – followed his initial innings hundred by notching an additional 90 in the second, and the truly notable was not so much the number of scored runs but the manner in which they were made. On occasion the young batsman looked commanding, striking a dozen boundaries and a couple of sixes, connecting with the ball perfectly but with fierce intent.
This was merely a friendly against a Lions side that deployed fully 11 pitchers throughout a match played in amid a small group of spectators in a open field, but it was nonetheless hugely noteworthy. For the record, England, set a target of 202 once the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand once Smith raced the team past the winning target with a stream of boundaries.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, the remaining major first-innings achievers, both fell short in the second knock, while Root added further points – 31 on this time – but was far from more convincing, before being bemused and subsequently out by Will Jacks. Brook met an similar end shortly after.
Shoaib Bashir – who concluded the match having delivered 12 overs for both teams – will have encountered a portion of the batting he faced pretty challenging. His first six deliveries versus the Lions cost 56, with Ben McKinney feasting to deliveries that if not entirely loose was certainly far from dangerous.
By the conclusion the sixth spell of those deliveries, England's other bowlers had given away nearly exactly the equivalent amount of runs – 57 – from 15, though the bowler grew a somewhat less generous in time, conceding 27 from his remaining six. He claimed one dismissal, taking a smart, diving grab, falling to his right, to end Bethell's batting stint for 70, facing 80 balls.
Jacob Bethell, redeeming scoring just a small score in the initial innings, was among three players fifty-scorers in the Lions team's top four. Ben McKinney's returns from opening batsman were steadier than those from their number three: he scored 66 in their first batting effort and went two better in their second innings, facing 61 deliveries for his half-century, with five and a couple maximums, both off Bashir's pitching. Bethell made 68 before a poor shot to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a stooping catch at ankle height.
Cox displayed comparable consistency, and followed his first-innings 53 with an additional 57, at slightly more than a scoring rate of one. He produced some exceptionally beautiful hits on the way, featuring a drive down the ground and a pull off successive Carse deliveries to attain his fifty.
After missing the first day of this match with a stomach upset and provided only the smallest of inputs to the second, Brydon Carse pitched superbly when at last provided the opportunity, with Ben McKinney and Cox included in his three dismissals.
The coverage will update
