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Ollie Pope has put the critics to rest, who questioned his position in England's Test setup at number three, by blazing his way to a classy century during an erratic innings in the warm-up game on a slow Lilac Hill surface in Perth.
England is refining its approach with a warm-up fixture against the Lions team before engaging in a fierce battle against their oldest rival, Australia, on November 21 at Perth's Optus Stadium in the famed Ashes. After England Lions hammered a daunting 375 on the board despite Ben Stokes' six-wicket haul, England XI's batters came into the spotlight on Day 2. Ben Duckett (92) and Zak Crawley (82) set the tone by hammering a 182-run opening partnership before England uncharacteristically lost four wickets for merely 16 runs. Root, who has often been reminded of his modest record in Australia, arrived in Perth and returned with 1(12) after mistiming his pull shot off Matthew Potts. Harry Brook chopped the ball back onto the stumps for 2(16) after trying to charge at seamer Nathan Gilchrist. Pope and Stokes injected the much-needed impetus by raising a 137-run partnership to ensure England didn't endure any other calamity. Pope's place at number 3 was on the radar, but he justified the faith that the management has entrusted in him. While there have been a couple of shouts for the inclusion of young Jacob Bethell, Pope reaffirmed his status as England's first-choice number three. Pope dictated the flow of the game, stroking 16 fours and a towering maximum en route to 100 off 113 deliveries. At the same time, Stokes played the supporting act with 77(109). Potts, who is unlikely to be in contention for the first Ashes Test, reminded everyone of his potential by returning with figures of 2/66. His sensational spell was instrumental in triggering a collapse. Shoaib Bashir had little assistance to create an impact with his off-spin, but managed to dismiss Pope to finish with 1/68 from 12 overs. After the end of the day's play, Crawley explained his approach was to find rhythm and spend time on the crease before the series opener. "It's a good wicket to bat on, but not too focused on that. We're just trying to get some rhythm and spend time in the middle. We're doing everything we can with what we got. I feel like we're going to be ready next week," Crawley told reporters. (ANI)
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