Kevin Pietersen exclusive

THIS has to be a week when every single England player looks in the mirror and asks: Do I want to be hero?

Because it's there for the taking, the chance to be the nation's saviour.

The man who stuck out his chin, puffed out his chest and stood up to Australia when it really mattered.

What could be more important than the match which will decide the Ashes?

And what better opportunity for somebody to become England's hero?

I don't always like harking back to 2005 because that doesn't have any bearing on what will happen at The Oval this week.

But ask Freddie Flintoff what it meant to stand there on the podium as Man of the Series.

It changed his life.

The players selected this morning have an opportunity to emulate Freddie and to carve their names in history as the men who fought back against the odds and delivered when the country demanded it the most.

To me, that would be the most exciting thing in the world.

STEP UP - Ravi Bopara

Unfortunately, I spent much of last week in hospital on a drip after the wound from my Achilles operation became infected so I haven't had a chance to talk to many of the boys about Headingley.

Anyway, what's the point in looking backwards when all that matters is the five days at The Oval starting Thursday?

It won't matter how many Test centuries you've scored or how many five-fers you've taken, the only thing that counts is what you do in the final Test when the Ashes depend on it.

That's what skipper Andrew Strauss will be telling the players, especially the senior lads who have a huge role to play.

The greatest thing Michael Vaughan had as a captain was the ability to stay calm under pressure and to transmit that calmness to the other players.

You couldn't tell what was happening inside him because he exuded such calmness and confidence in the dressing room and in the public eye.

Straussy will be trying to do the same. He will be chilled, he will be composed and he will be making sure the rest of the lads stay exactly that focused.

The easiest thing in the world is to get distracted. Everybody wants to talk about the Fifth Test, everybody's got an opinion or a theory.

But you can't let yourself get caught up in that because there's enough internal pressure building up without making it worse by heaping outside pressure upon yourself.

So my advice to the boys is to switch off the TV and the radio, concentrate on what they've got to do against the Aussies and focus on nothing else . . . because nothing else matters.

I spoke to Ravi Bopara this week, encouraging him, telling him to keep his head up and to concentrate on becoming the best bat he can be.

And I'll be hobbling into the dressing room on Thursday morning for a an hour or so to see if the lads are smiling and to let them abuse me for a while.

I won't be telling them what to do or how to do it because that's not my job.

What I do know is that there's a chance for somebody to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and to make a real name for themselves.

It's time for somebody to stand up and be counted.

It's time for a hero.

IINTERVIEW: SAM PETERS

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