Former all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has insisted that the England side is stronger with Kevin Pietersen in it.

Pietersen is set to undergo a re-integration period but it is as yet unclear whether the batsman will tour India later this month.

However, Flintoff has urged England to bring him back into the fold quickly so that they can once again field a full-strength side.

"I think England are a better side with him in it," Sky Sports News quotes Flintoff as saying. "England obviously want him in the team and he wants to play for England.

"All what's been going on for the last few months is just getting boring, it just needs to be resolved, get England's best side on the field and start winning cricket matches again.

"That's what the team want to do, that's what the public want to see and that's what players want so I think it's just time they got on with it now."

Meanwhile, former England captain Ian Botham has predicted that Pietersen's return will not be as easy as Flintoff has claimed.