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England’s generally conservative selection policy would seem to indicate that Mark Ramprakash’s chances of playing in the fifth Ashes Test at the Oval are slim, but England national selector, Geoff Miller, said he wasn’t out of the running when the Surrey batsman’s chances of selection the other day.

For his part, Ramprakash himself says he would be ‘thrilled’ to make an unforeseen comeback in such a crucial match.

Ramprakash last played for England in 2002, but having averaged around 100 for the last three years, his name has repeatedly cropped up in England discussions. The closest he has come is being named as the reserve batsman for England’s cricket tour to Sri Lanka, although he was never called upon to join the squad in the end.

The England selectors generally show faith with players, but a poor run of form for Ravi Bopara batting at three and continuing doubts about Ian Bell’s suitability for Test cricket have meant Ramprakash’s name has been cropping up more and more with the fifth and final Ashes Test a must-win for England.

A Test average of just 27.32 may not do the Surrey batsman justice, but he perhaps justifiably claims that he is not the same batsman as he was then. Regardless of this fact, it would be a brave and uncharacteristic move by the selectors to recall a batsman who is almost 40 and who has long been thought to be lacking the necessary mental resilience for the Test game.