England skipper Andrew Strauss has warned cricket chiefs they must forge a stronger relationship with the county sides to give the national team a better chance of success.

ECB bosses are believed to be furious at the prospect of new Australian sensation Phillip Hughes effectively having a six-week warm-up for the Ashes while playing for Middlesex.

The 20-year-old opening batsman, who scored a century in each innings against South Africa in March in only his second Test match, expects his brief stint at Lord's to put him in far better shape to take on England, as it will give him valuable experience of pitch and weather conditions in this country.

Hughes is due to make his Middlesex debut against Glamorgan tomorrow, and his new county team-mate Strauss said: “If the England team are doing well that benefits the counties and we need to make sure we all working together and not going in different directions.

“There are times, understandably, when counties look after what they need to look after — they want to do well and keep their members happy. There is a bigger picture there as well. That is the challenge for the ECB and counties.

“Phil Hughes playing county cricket is not going to win or lose us the Ashes. It is just a symptom of the relationship between the ECB and the counties, which needs to be stronger.”

Meanwhile, Andrew Flintoff got the better of Kevin Pietersen in the latest round of Indian Premier League matches. Flintoff hit 22 not out as the Chennai Super Kings overcame Pietersen's Bangalore Royal Challengers by 92 runs. Pietersen fell to a first-ball duck.