James Anderson on Form As Ashes Countdown Continues at Edgbaston

Like just about everyone else in the country James Anderson is ready and eager for this Ashes series to get under way. Speaking after taking five for 34 in England's gentle warm-up game against Warwickshire at Edgbaston he said: "The hype has been going on for so long now and we just want to get started." Punters, players and pressmen echo these sentiments vehemently. It will be a relief when the talking stops.

Anderson was clearly in charge of his game as he swapped his inswingers and out swingers at will against hapless Warwickshire batsmen during England's historic though mostly unmemorable match at Edgbaston – the national side have not played a first-class game against a county in the modern era.

In between thrashing Warwickshire the England team has been studying the Australians by watching the TV in the dressing room. Once at Edgbaston in 1988 an England side failed to take the field when it stopped raining because they were still watching the racing on TV. But in 2009 only the cricket is permitted on their screens and Anderson and his colleagues have been monitoring what has been going on down the road at Worcester where the England Lions are playing Australia.

"We have kept an eye on it on the telly," said Anderson, "and in fact we have computers down in the dressing room with info from previous games they have played so we can have a look at their batsmen and bowlers as well as watching them on TV."

For more than half the day the England players must have enjoyed what they saw from Worcester, where Stephen Moore and Joe Denly compiled a 172-run opening partnership. However, late in the day Brett Lee, reverse-swinging the ball at pace, captured five for 53 and in the process may well have cemented his place in the Australian side for the first Test at Cardiff, which starts on Wednesday.

Conventional swing was Anderson's ally against less testing opponents 40 minutes up the M5. The Lancastrian, who has become the spearhead of the England attack over the last 12 months, is naturally a diffident soul but he said last night: "I am just concentrating on my job, which is to swing the ball and take early wickets. I feel as if I have everything under control at the moment." Which may be easier in front of 1,500 die hards at Edgbaston than a full-house at Cardiff next week. We are all ready to find out.