Steve Harmison admits England will have a tough time trying to replace Andrew Flintoff.

The 31-year-old all-rounder announced on Wednesday he would call time on his Test career after the Ashes, and Harmison accepts he will leave a huge void in the England set-up.

"It's disappointing from an Englishman's point of view," the Durham fast bowler told Sky Sports. "It will be interesting to see how England go in future years after Andrew's gone. When Ian Botham retired it probably took 20 years to get another cricketer who could do somewhere near what Beefy could do."

He added: "There's space for an all-rounder out there to come and fill Andrew's shoes because he is a big miss, no matter what anybody says.

"Someone to bowl at 92, 93, 94 miles per hour, bat in the top six which he has done for England in the past and stand at first slip... it's a massive, massive hole to fill.

"He'll be a massive miss for Test cricket because any team without Andrew Flintoff in, any England side, will be a weakened side."

Harmison acknowledged, though, that the injury-plagued Lancashire man had little option with his long-term well-being at stake.

The 30-year-old said: "From somebody who is close to him - I think the world of him - to see him go through what he goes through, he comes back and the criticism he gets for it... I sometimes think 'why don't you just stop playing Test cricket because it seems to be that that's getting you injured?'

"He can't keep pounding his body, getting injured and coming back."