Big guns misfire as Bears turn on heat; CRICKET: Ashes warm-up puts England batsmen under pressure.

Byline: Brian Halford

ENGLAND'S batting line-up found Warwickshire's depleted and unbalanced bowling attack surprisingly hot to handle on the first day of their three-day friendly at Edgbaston.

Deployed as Ashes warm-up fodder, the Bears were forced to go in without a specialist spinner after injured pair Jeetan Patel and Ant Botha joined the rested Neil Carter on the sidelines.

At full strength, Warwickshire have hardly been taking wickets for fun in first-class cricket this season. So when they were sentenced to bowl in the hottest and most oppressive weather of the year, on a decent pitch and with a ridiculously short boundary, a hard day's leather-chasing appeared to beckon. Far from it. England's declaration at 290 for eight saved them the ignominy of lodging the lowest first-innings score at Edgbaston this season, behind Hampshire (379), Durham (433) and Yorkshire (600).

Alastair Cook showed his class with his 21st first-class century 124 from 190 balls with 24 fours. But nobody else reached 50 against an admirably big-hearted attack. All the seamers bowled well and the best, Chris Woakes, was the only one not to take a wicket.

Not bad for a near second-string.

Talks are understood to be underway about a switch by which the Bears will face Australia for the Ashes while England take over Warwickshire's remaining championship fixtures and their mouthwatering Pro40 Division Two schedule.

England's intensity levels will no doubt be higher when the Ashes begin next week but still it was scruffy stuff from all but Cook. Andrew Strauss and Ravi Bopara put down roots but perished to loose shots, the former edging a waft at Tahir and the latter lifting Boyd Rankin to deep square leg where 17-yearold Ateeq Javid held his nerve and the catch.

The rest of England's big guns misfired. Kevin Pietersen edged his eighth ball to slip, the woefully out-of-form Paul Collingwood missed a straight one to give Keith Barker a well-deserved maiden first-class wicket and Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff edged fatally during an excellent post-tea spell from Tahir. When Graeme Swann lifted Clarke to mid-off, Strauss called the shapeless effort to a close.

With ten overs to bat, Warwickshire lost Ian Westwood to a good one from Jimmy Anderson but Trott looked in fine form and a mood to show that perhaps he should be on the other side here, or at least down at New Road alongside Ian Bell with the Lions.

CAPTION(S):

HITTING OUT... Andrew Flintoff goes on the attack at Edgbaston yesterday