Mitchell Johnson admitted he struggled to cope with the pressure of leading the Australia bowling attack during the Ashes.

The paceman arrived in England this summer full of confidence after being named man of the series during the Aussies' 2-1 Test triumph over South Africa two months earlier.

But the 27-year-old bowled poorly early on, with figures of three for 200 during the Second Test defeat by Andrew Strauss's men.

Johnson said: "The Ashes is a big deal but I built it up too much and got too excited about it all early.

"I didn't take in the fact their home crowd was right behind them all the way. I wasn't used to that feeling and taking on the role as leader of the attack all got to me a little bit."

Johnson regained his form, taking five for 69 in the second innings of the Fourth Test. And although the Aussies lost the Ashes, Johnson went on to help them hammer England 6-1 in the one-day series and go on to take the ICC Champions Trophy.

"I'm glad I recovered from it," said Johnson, who was named ICC Cricketer of the Year last week. "It was a learning experience."