Flintoff backs England youth

Jamie Dalrymple was one of England's plus points in the summer © Getty Images

England captain Andrew Flintoff believes his team can rise to the “tough challenge” the ICC Champions Trophy in India will present.

Flintoff, speaking as the team arrived in New Delhi, has put thoughts of the Ashes series against Australia to the back of his mind.

He said: “Our immediate concern is this present series. Yes, we are preparing for the Ashes, but our target is capitalising on the momentum that has been with us ever since our semi-final win against Australia during the previous Champions Trophy in England."

He is also backing his young team to perform better than expected in India.

“We have had a tough summer in one-day international cricket,” he said.

“We have played against some strong opposition and our inexperienced side showed a lot of character and came up with fine results."

Andrew Flintoff and Andrew Strauss have both captained England © Getty Images

He added: “We have had quite a few captains due to injuries but our lads have responded quite well under them.

“It might not have been the easiest case though. The way we drew the one-day series against Pakistan recently was quite amazing.

“Ours is a young side with a good mix of experienced players. We are looking forward to playing some top teams."

On the captaincy issue - Flintoff got the job ahead of Andrew Strauss in the absence of the injured Michael Vaughan - he said: "It is a challenge for me.

“Captaincy has brought the best out of me; be it against India or Sri Lanka. This is going to be tough challenge because there are some very good teams. 

“West Indies and England got to the final last time and we’ve got to go out there confident and believe we can beat other top teams."