Ollie Pope Strengthens Status to England's No 3 Role with Impressive 90 Versus Lions
It's difficult to determine how much of England's preparatory match will prove important when their Ashes campaign kicks off 10km away at the Perth venue on Friday – a brief gap in space or time but light years away in importance and atmosphere – but if it achieved only boosting Pope's self-belief, that alone has made the effort worthwhile.
England's number three batsman – this fact is certainly totally clear – followed his initial innings century by notching another 90 in the second innings, and what was notable was less about the quantity of runs but the style in which they were scored. Periodically the 27-year-old appeared dominant, hitting a dozen fours and a two of sixes, hitting the ball beautifully but with devilish determination.
This was only a exhibition game against a Lions team that deployed a total of 11 pitchers throughout a game held in front of a small group of people in a public park, but it was nevertheless very noteworthy. For the record, England, chasing of 202 after the Lions declared their second innings on 251 for six, triumphed by five wickets in hand after Jamie Smith raced the team over the finish line with a flurry of fours and sixes.
Crawley and Duckett, the two other major first-innings' achievers, both failed in the second knock, while Joe Root scored additional runs – 31 on this occasion – but was not enormously more assured, before being bemused and accordingly bowled by Jacks. Harry Brook suffered an identical end a little later.
Shoaib Bashir – who ended the fixture having delivered 12 overs for either team – will have found a portion of the batting he faced rather challenging. His first six overs against the Lions went for 56, with McKinney tucking in to pitching that if not exactly loose was definitely not overly dangerous.
By the conclusion the sixth spell of those overs, the English side's remaining three pitchers had allowed almost precisely the identical total of points – 57 – from 15, though Bashir became a somewhat less giving later on, allowing 27 from his final six. He took one wicket, taking a sharp, low grab, diving to his right, to end Bethell's batting stint for 70, from 80 balls.
Bethell, redeeming achieving just three in the opening knock, was one of a trio of players with fifties in the Lions' leading batsmen. Ben McKinney's scores from opener were steadier than those from their No 3: he made 66 in their first innings and improved by two in their second innings, taking 61 balls for his 50 runs, with five and two sixes, both from Bashir's deliveries. Bethell got to 68 then a mishit to Ben Stokes at cover position, who made a stooping grab at low down.
Jordan Cox displayed similar reliability, and backed up his initial innings' 53 with another 57, at just over a scoring rate of one. He produced several outstandingly handsome strokes en route, featuring a drive down the ground and a pull shot from back-to-back Carse deliveries to reach his 50 runs.
After missing the initial day of this match with a stomach upset and contributed only the most minor of efforts to the second day, Brydon Carse bowled superbly when at last afforded the shot, with McKinney and Cox included in his three scalps.
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