Five-star Anderson in groove ahead of Ashes

James Anderson took five wickets to put England in total control of their Ashes warm-up match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston here on Thursday.

Lancashire seamer Anderson has figures of five for 34 as Warwickshire slumped to 92 for eight in reply to England's 290 for eight declated at lunch on the second day of this three-day fixture.

Anderson and county colleague Andrew Flintoff both impressed with the ball ahead of next week's first Test against Australia in Cardiff.

Flintoff, under fire for missing the team bus during last weekend's squad trip to visit World War I graves in Belgium, nearly took the first wicket of the day only for Anderson to drop Jonathan Trott in the gully.

Anderson though did have Trott caught behind before Flintoff had Tony Frost lbw after the batsman walked across his stumps.

Flintoff, the star of England's 2005 Ashes series triumph but now coming back from a knee injury, then had left-hander Jim Troughton caught behind off a lifting delivery bowled from around the wicket - a tactic he is sure to use against the several southpaws in Australia's top-order.

The all-rounder's first spell saw him return figures of two wickets for 14 runs in six overs.

But from then on it was Anderson who took centre stage with three wickets in six overs that saw him to his five-wicket haul

Ex-England wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose was bowled off-stump before Ateeq Javid and Rikki Clarke were caught at gully and second slip respectively.

And there was another boost for England when under-pressure left-arm spinner Monty Panesar bowled Keith Barker with a delivery that turned.