England hint Pope will retain No 3 berth for Perth Ashes opener

Cliff Notes – England hint Pope will retain No 3 berth for Perth Ashes opener

• England are likely to select Ollie Pope at No. 3 for their warm-up match against the Lions, suggesting he may outpace Jacob Bethell for the first Test against Australia.
• Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes emphasised a competitive approach in the practice match, with players aiming to perform at their best against a strong Lions squad.
• Marcus Trescothick indicated that the team’s selection is stable, and performances in the warm-up match will not significantly influence the final line-up for the Ashes opener.

England hint Pope will retain No.3 berth for Perth Ashes opener

England have hinted that they will pick Ollie Pope at No. 3 in their warm-up game against the Lions on Thursday, indicating that he is likely to beat Jacob Bethell to selection for the first Test against Australia in Perth next week.

Harry Brook said that players were told they will be “going hard” against the Lions in their three-day practice match by Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes at the start of their Tuesday training session. Some England players may also feature for the Lions, who have brought an 18-man squad to Australia.

“That was partly what Baz and Stokesy said,” Brook told England’s social channels. “We’re going hard. We’re going to go 100%. We’re going to try and beat them. I think we’re going to be selecting an XI and playing against another XI, so it’s not going to be just a mess-around… It’s good preparation playing against some of the best players in England ahead of the Ashes.”

Pope’s position at No. 3 has been under pressure ever since Bethell’s maiden Test series in New Zealand last year, when he made three half-centuries in the role. England’s decision to transfer the vice-captaincy from Pope to Brook last month only fuelled speculation that Bethell would start the Ashes in the role.

But Marcus Trescothick, one of McCullum’s assistant coaches, gave a strong hint that Pope will retain his spot for the warm-up match. “I’m presuming the same sort of No. 3 we’ve had for a period of time,” he told BBC Sport, when asked who would bat there. He added: “I can only say we are a very consistent team in what we’re trying to do.”

Trescothick also said that performances in the warm-up match were unlikely to affect selection for the first Test.

“It’s definitely not going to change dramatically before the start of an Ashes series because someone puts their hand up by taking five wickets or gets 150,” he said. “The team has been what it has been for a period of time for a reason, so that when you come to big series, you are more settled and confident going into it.”

England have trained at Lilac Hill, the venue for the warm-up match and the home ground of grade team Midland-Guildford CC, since they arrived in Perth and Brook said that conditions will be “completely different” when they arrive at Optus Stadium for the first Test.

“It’s completely different here, if I’m being brutally honest,” he said. [The pitches] are slow and low here. It’s going to be slightly different to the Optus, but we’ve got three or four days before that first Test where we can utilise [those] pitches… It’s a perfect opportunity in this game to try and get some time out in the middle and use it wisely.”