Surrey legend Mark Butcher reckons England should resist wholesale changes for the last Ashes Test match at the Oval next week.

The 36-year-old former Test batsman has already laughed-off suggestions veteran Mark Ramprakash should be recalled in place of current number three Ravi Bopara, questioning whether the 39-year-old would make it through five days.

While Warwickshire’s in-form Jonathan Trott has also been mentioned as a possible debutant in a match England must win to wrestle the famous urn from Australia.

And Butcher, who retired last week, insists the pressure of delivering in that situation should see team boss Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss stick largely with the formula that has got them thus far.

“You can’t ask players who have not played Test cricket before or haven’t done so for a while, to go out and face that sort of pressure,” he said.

“You can’t say there are no expectations on them and tell the players to go out there and have a go. That is simply not the case.

“The nature and the history of the Ashes means everyone expects. They are going to have to be a little bit smart.”