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Andrew Flintoff: 'England must deal with pressure'

Andrew Flintoff says that England must learn to cope with the pressure of being favourites if they are to win The Ashes.

Former England bowler Andrew Flintoff has insisted that the current side must learn to deal with the pressure of being favourites if they are to win The Ashes.

The hosts have won three of the last four Ashes series, and are tipped to make it four from five ahead of the opening Test at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

However, Flintoff feels that England need to adjust to being the favourites, suggesting that the side copes better when labelled as the underdogs.

"Historically, England have not been good at being the front-runners," Flintoff told BBC Sport. "They have got to treat it as any other Test match. They just need to go out and play.

"They will be trying to take the pressure off themselves and stay relaxed.

"Pressure might hinder them, so it's all about how they react."

Flintoff retired from Test cricket after helping England regain The Ashes in 2009.

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