RAVI Bopara believes England will approach the opening Ashes Test with confidence after drawing their practice match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston yesterday.

The Essex batsman hit his fourth century in as many first-class matches for England this year to help ensure nearly all their top order scored runs in the three-day encounter.

Bopara retired on 104 in a rain-affected encounter on the final day, having hit 13 fours and a six, while both Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior hit unbeaten half-centuries before England declared 507 runs ahead on 319 for three.

England reduced Warwickshire to 27 for three before the two sides shook hands with a potential 17 overs remaining.

Bopara believes they got as much as they could have hoped for from the match before the Test starts on Wednesday.

‘‘Everyone is pretty relaxed and everyone is playing well,’’ he said.

‘‘The way our bowlers played here gives them confidence and gives the batters confidence. We coped well on this sort of deck and we are very relaxed. Everyone seems chilled but working really hard.

‘‘Everyone has been in the nets and in the gym getting ready in every possible way, whether it is strength, fitness or technique, so we are ready for Wednesday.’’ Only Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, who batted only once during the match, failed to reach a half-century from the top seven likely to start next week’s Test, and Bopara believes the experiment has been a success.

‘‘It has been a good little run in to the first Test,’’ he said. ‘‘The boys got a hit, and the bowlers bowled well and look on fire, so we’re happy all round.

‘‘The standard is not as high as next week, but there’s nothing better than a cricketer spending time out in the middle.

As a batsman you can work five days a week for five hours in the nets and it is not the same as going out in the middle.

‘‘The lads just want to get on with it now. There has been enough build-up and we just want to get stuck in and hope when Wednesday comes round we get going.’’ England’s squad, which will be announced by national selector Geoff Miller on Sunday morning from Old Trafford, will assemble in Cardiff that night before being put through two days of practice.

It is a new experience for Bopara as he approaches his first Ashes series, but he said: ‘‘Every player expects to play, and the 11 here expect to play.

‘‘I’m not choosing the team but I think every player will prepare as if they are going to play because the last thing you want to do is rock up on Wednesday and be surprised when they pick the team.

‘‘You want to go into the match used to the idea that you are playing."

Scoreboard

Warwickshire v England At Edgbaston

Overnight: Warwickshire 102 (J M Anderson 5-34). England 290-8 dec (A NCook 124) and 185-2 (R S Bopara 88 no, A J Strauss 61).

England Second Innings

R S Bopara retd out ..........................104

P D Collingwood not out ....................79

M J Prior not out .................................50

Extras (lb16 w1 nb2 pens 0)........19

Total 3 wkts dec (76 overs).....319

Fall: 1-109 2-125 3-208.

Did Not Bat: A N Cook, A Flintoff, S C J Broad, G P Swann, J M Anderson, M S Panesar.

Woakes 14-4-32-1. Rankin 13-0-55-1. Tahir 10-2-26-0. Clarke 5-0-27-0. Barker 12-2-44- 0. Trott 10-0-44-0. Javeed 12-0-75-0.

Warwickshire Second Innings

I J Westwood c Prior b Broad ................ 5

I J Trott not out ....................................14

J O Troughton run out ........................ 0

Javeed c Strauss b Flintoff .................. 3

T R Ambrose not out ........................... 4

Extras (lb1 pens 0)....................... 1

Total 3 wkts (12 overs)..............27

Fall: 1-13 2-13 3-18

Did Not Bat: T Frost, R Clarke, K H D Barker, C R Woakes, W B Rankin, N Tahir.

Anderson 4-1-6-0. Broad 4-1-16-1. Flintoff 4- 3-4-1.

Warwickshire drew with England.