Late wickets for England in draw

Matt Prior hit a fluent half-century as England enjoyed extended batting practice in the afternoon at Edgbaston

England completed a satisfactory build-up to the start of the Ashes series with nearly all their leading batsman making runs in the drawn practice match against Warwickshire.

Having suffered a delayed start to the third and final day at Edgbaston because of steady rain, England finally declared 507 runs ahead on 319 for three after Ravi Bopara claimed another century and both Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior reached 50.

It left only Kevin Pietersen and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, who only batted once, as the only players from their likely top seven for next week's opening Test in Cardiff to have failed to have passed fifty during the last three days as the game fizzled out into a draw with Warwickshire on 27 for three.

The selectors, who meet tomorrow in Worcester to decide the squad for the first Test which will be announced on Sunday, now enter their meeting in a fortunate position of having a confident and in-form set of players to choose from for the start of the npower Ashes.

England had resumed on 185 for two when rain finally ceased in mid-afternoon and Bopara, who had scored centuries in his last three Test appearances for England, continued that sequence by progressing from 88 overnight to another hundred.

Bopara hit 13 fours and a six in his innings before retiring as out at the end of that over to allow Sussex wicketkeeper Prior an opportunity to spend time at the crease.

Having missed the ICC World Twenty20 tournament, Prior was in as much need of time at the crease as Durham all-rounder Collingwood, with neither player reaching 20 in the first innings.

Collingwood looked particularly scratchy during the early part of his innings, but delivered another determined knock to finish unbeaten on 79 after over two hours at the crease.

Tim Ambrose looks on as Paul Collingwood plays his way into form with 79 not out ahead of the Ashes series next week

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Prior was much more fluent against an inexperienced Warwickshire attack and raced to an unbeaten 50 off 67 balls, which included five fours and a six, before England declared.

The timing of the declaration at tea left those few spectators in the ground under the impression they were going to push for victory in the minimum of 29 overs remaining in the final session.

England certainly seemed to set off with that intent with Stuart Broad removing Warwickshire captain Ian Westwood in the sixth over of their reply and Jim Troughton was run out later in the same over.

Flintoff added extra aggression to unsettle 17-year-old Ateeq Javid, first forcing him to duck under a bouncer before bowling a full-length delivery next ball which he edged to first slip.

But with a potential 17 overs remaining, both sides accepted the draw with England content they had got as much out of the match as they could have hoped in the build-up to Cardiff.