Moeen Ali says he is "ready to play" and is looking forward to returning to the England side as the Ashes build-up intensifies.
Moeen is expected to play a big role in the five-Test series against Australia, but missed the first two warm-up games with a side strain.
However, ahead of the first Test which starts on November 23, Moeen is set to be in the line-up when England face a Cricket Australia XI in Townsville.
The four-day game gets underway on Wednesday and Ali is looking forward to his return.
"I am good," he said. "Just a slight strain on my side from throwing. It is a bit frustrating obviously, not playing, but also not a bad thing.
"You get a lot more work done than everybody else behind the scenes.
"I feel like I am ready to play and I can't wait to spend time in the field. We have got four days of, hopefully, good cricket.
"I can get a bit of game time in my system and then ready to play, hopefully, at The Gabba."
The strength of the Australia batting line up has been questioned in some quarters, but Moeen thinks both sides have something to prove in that department.
Asked if he thought Australia were a vulnerable, Moeen said: "Same as us, probably.
"Man for man we are probably very similar as well. We know we have got two world class batters in Joe Root and Alastair Cook.
"I think it's whoever holds their nerve, and whoever really wants it as a batting unit will probably win the series.
"I think both teams have the same problems, so it's going to be exciting.
"It all depends on who handles the pressure and which of your big players really turn up. Hopefully, it will be ours."