Joe Root’s bid to exorcise his Ashes demons got off to a poor start as England’s warm-up match against the Lions at Lilac Hill saw the world number one Test batter fall for just a single run. Root faced a dozen balls before miscuing a pull off Matt Potts to midwicket, adding to his history of struggles on Australian soil. The senior side were bowled out for 426, a lead of 51, moments before the close.
Ollie Pope, by contrast, impressed with a century before deliberately or inadvertently allowing Shoaib Bashir to bowl him. He outperformed his top-order colleagues: Zak Crawley fell in the 80s and Ben Duckett in the 90s, while Ben Stokes made 77 before top-edging Will Jacks to Bashir. Harry Brook contributed a brief, ugly dismissal after doubling Root’s score, charging at Nathan Gilchrist and missing.
England stumbled from 182 without loss to 185 for three soon after lunch, losing three wickets for three runs, but Pope and Stokes steadied the innings. The Lions used nine bowlers, with Potts initially expensive but finishing with two wickets; Jacob Bethell took three in the closing overs as England’s batters grew carefree.
Injury concerns persist: Mark Wood watched with a heavily strapped left leg, awaiting a scan on his hamstring, while Brydon Carse recovered from a stomach upset but did not bowl and lasted only three balls with the bat. Bashir briefly fell to the ground after pulling up while fielding but continued.
“It’s good prep, I think,” said Crawley, describing the pitch as flat and noting the flies. With the first Test starting next Friday, the value of the workout remains uncertain.
