Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke has heaped pressure on England debutant Jonathan Trott in the Ashes crunch match at the Oval.
England must win the match, which starts on Thursday, if they are to regain the urn and Trott faces a stern examination if he is to help England seal victory.
'It's one of the biggest Test matches you will ever play in, so to make a debut I think [Trott] is going to be under a lot of pressure. But I think any time you make a debut, the pressure from within is the hardest part,' said Clarke.
'You wait a long time for that opportunity and when you get that chance you want to make the most of it. It's going to be a big challenge for him.
'Trott's going to feel the nerves and going to be under the pressure so the sooner we can get him in the better.'
However, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has backed Trott to deliver Ashes glory: “It's the best possible to match for him to make his debut - to go and win an Ashes series. What an opportunity to make a name for yourself.”
Ian Bell, Trott's team-mate at Warwickshire, will be promoted to number three in England's batting line-up, replacing Ravi Bopara. In the past he has failed impress batting at three for his country, something that Clarke was quick to point out.
'I think Ian's a very good player, and I think he's shown that. I think his record at number three is not as good as it is at number four or five but he's still a very good player,' he explained.
Clarke, 28, who is the leading run scorer in the series, is hopeful that his team get to test out Trott as soon as possible: 'I think England have got a pretty strong batting line-up as they've shown throughout the series, so hopefully we can bowl in the right areas, take our catches and get Trott in very early.'
England must win the match, which starts on Thursday, if they are to regain the urn and Trott faces a stern examination if he is to help England seal victory.
'It's one of the biggest Test matches you will ever play in, so to make a debut I think [Trott] is going to be under a lot of pressure. But I think any time you make a debut, the pressure from within is the hardest part,' said Clarke.
'You wait a long time for that opportunity and when you get that chance you want to make the most of it. It's going to be a big challenge for him.
'Trott's going to feel the nerves and going to be under the pressure so the sooner we can get him in the better.'
However, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff has backed Trott to deliver Ashes glory: “It's the best possible to match for him to make his debut - to go and win an Ashes series. What an opportunity to make a name for yourself.”
Ian Bell, Trott's team-mate at Warwickshire, will be promoted to number three in England's batting line-up, replacing Ravi Bopara. In the past he has failed impress batting at three for his country, something that Clarke was quick to point out.
'I think Ian's a very good player, and I think he's shown that. I think his record at number three is not as good as it is at number four or five but he's still a very good player,' he explained.
Clarke, 28, who is the leading run scorer in the series, is hopeful that his team get to test out Trott as soon as possible: 'I think England have got a pretty strong batting line-up as they've shown throughout the series, so hopefully we can bowl in the right areas, take our catches and get Trott in very early.'
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