Ollie Pope starred in England’s intra-squad warm-up game, showcasing his class after Ben Duckett was dismissed for a golden duck. Having scored a century in the first innings, Pope led the charge as England chased down a target of 202 with five wickets to spare in 34.4 overs.
Zak Crawley, unfortunately, departed cheaply for 3 runs off 12 balls. However, Joe Root (31 off 52) and Ollie Pope put together a crucial partnership, adding 113 runs for the third wicket either side of the tea break. The duo’s partnership ended swiftly, with Pope falling to Nathan Gilchrist, and Root’s wicket claimed by Will Jacks just two runs later.
Nathan Gilchrist, the spin-bowling all-rounder, continued to make an impact by dismissing Harry Brook, who scored 19 off 17 deliveries. Gilchrist is staking a strong claim for a spot in the playing XI for the upcoming Perth Test.
Captain Ben Stokes contributed 15 runs, while Jamie Smith finished the innings with a quickfire 39 off 22 balls, featuring four sixes, to close out proceedings for the senior team.
Earlier in the day, the Lions declared their innings at 251-6 after lunch, maintaining an impressive run rate of over five runs per over to push for a result. Jacob Bethell, recovering from a failure in the first innings, top-scored for the Lions with 70 runs off 80 deliveries before being caught off the bowling of Shoaib Bashir. Ben McKinney also made a valuable contribution, scoring 68 off 73 balls.
Brydon Carse, who did not bowl in the first innings, made a significant impact in the second innings by picking up three wickets. Joe Root also claimed a wicket, dismissing Will Jacks, while Josh Tongue took one wicket as well. Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, and Ben Stokes, all managing heavy workloads in the first innings, combined to bowl 14 overs in the second.
This warm-up game was the only practice the senior England team was scheduled to have before the Ashes series. The first Test will be held at Optus Stadium in Perth, starting November 21.
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