Injured strike bowler James Anderson is winning his race to be fit for England's opening Ashes series Test match in Brisbane next month, team director Andy Flower has revealed.
Speaking to journalists in London on Monday, Flower said Anderson was recovering well after cracking a rib during a controversial boxing session with team-mates at England's recent training camp in Germany.
Anderson may even be fit for some of the warm-up games leading into the first Test, which gets under way on November 25, Flower said.
"He's already bowling at 75 percent, so he should be fine for the first Test," Flower said.
"More than likely, he'll be okay for two of those warm-up games."
Anderson was crocked after being hit by a team-mate --reportedly Chris Tremlett -- during an unorthodox training camp that has been criticised as unnecessarily risky so close to the Ashes.
However, Flower insisted he had no regrets about the camp.
"No, none at all," he said. "It's was an excellent camp, actually, and I think the players and management that were involved in it did things that they might never have done before in their lives and might never do again, and it was a very healthy experience."
Flower also dismissed description of the training exercise as a boot camp.
{{/usCountry}}Flower also dismissed description of the training exercise as a boot camp.
{{/usCountry}}"The term 'boot camp' is associated with punishment in some way," he said.
"I might do some stupid things in my time but punishing players - and over five days - is not one of them. Obviously, Jim getting injured was not part of the plan, but these things happen."