England hint at faith in Pope as they prepare to unveil XI

Marcus Trescothick believes No 3 spot is settled as visitors plan to increase the intensity before sole Ashes warm-up

- Simon Burnton

England may stand accused of not taking their Ashes preparations seriously but with only three days against the Lions to hone their players’ cutting edge they have promised to approach the solitary game of their pared-down warm-up with as much intensity as they can muster.

The assistant coach Marcus Trescothick said the focus would be on making the game “as competitive as we can”, as they prepare to effectively unveil their first-choice Ashes XI.

While every member of the Ashes squad will be involved in the match, with some turning out for the Lions against their own teammates, the England side is expected to be at full strength. Every player trained in an intensive session yesterday - Ben Stokes doing one session in the nets against spin, one against seam, and another bowling - with no fitness issues reported.

This means that while the debate about England's preparation will rumble on, the one over the identity of their first-choice No 3 may soon be settled, with Trescothick strongly hinting that Ollie Pope has seen off the challenge of Jacob Bethell to keep his place, where he has batted in 32 of England's 35 innings since the start of 2024.