London: England team director Andy Flower is confident that James Anderson will be fit to play two of the team's warm-up matches before the Ashes series against Australia begins.
Anderson sustained a broken rib during a pre-Ashes bonding trip to Germany this month but Flower says the fast bowler is making good progress.
Flower says Anderson "is already bowling at 75 percent and he will be ready for the first Test," which starts in Brisbane on November 25.
Flower added on Monday that Anderson was "more than likely" to play in two of the three matches against first-class opposition before the five-Test Ashes series.
Australia recently lost Test and one-day international series against India but Flower says those defeats will mean very little ahead of the Ashes.