 Flintoff is focusing on winning the Champions Trophy for England |
England captain Andrew Flintoff insists his side will have to improve to retain the Ashes but says the current focus is solely on the Champions Trophy. "Having played in one before and getting to the final and coming so close, it hurt," said Flintoff.
"We're flying out to win the ICC tournament. There's a lot being made of the Ashes but we've got to address what's in front of us first.
"But to win [the Ashes] we're going to have to play better than in 2005."
England are grouped with Australia, India and a qualifying team in the Champions Trophy pool stages, with the first match against hosts India in Jaipur on 15 October.
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Flintoff accepts that his side face a difficult prospect, with only the top two teams reaching the semi-finals.
He has not played for England since June after undergoing ankle surgery. He is heading to India as a batsman, though he is hopeful of playing some part as a bowler.
"Everything I've done so far, the running back home, has responded well," said the all-rounder.
"In the nets I've probably bowled at 50-60% and it's responded well to that, so we'll start building it up over the next couple of weeks.
"At this stage we can't set a date or say when I'll be bowling again."
| I'm hungry to play cricket, I want to get back on the pitch and play |
England have been hit by a host of other injuries since the Ashes last summer, notably to first-choice skipper Michael Vaughan and paceman Simon Jones.
But bowlers James Anderson and Steve Harmison are expected to be fit for the Champions Trophy.
And Flintoff believes the enforced breaks could be of benefit to his players with a long winter ahead, culminating in the World Cup in the Caribbean in March and April.
"Some of us have not played a great deal of cricket this summer which has given us time to get in the gym, get fit and have time away from the game," he said.
"Now I'm hungry to play cricket, I want to get back on the pitch and play. When you're not playing you realise how much you do miss it."
Vaughan has not played international cricket for 11 months because of a knee injury, but on Thursday he hinted he may return for some of the Ashes.
"As soon as we've got Michael Vaughan back in the England side the better. He's a class performer and he's led the team well," said Flintoff.
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News conference: England skipper Andrew Flintoff