Rarely does a team get the chance to blood young talent in a competitive environment that is also devoid of real consequences.

It means very little if England win The Ashes 3-1 or 4-1. The series is over and Australia have already been embarrassed. Badly.

But whatever the state of the series, games between the two nations are always an occasion.

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The crowd at The Oval will be big, boisterous and baying for blood. What a challenge for a young player trying to find his way.

So why would Australian selectors delay the inevitable – cricket’s new era at Test level – until our visit to Bangladesh in October?

Why not roll the dice now? Yes, it’d be a bold, daring move. But they are traits we associate with Australian cricket.

Coach Darren Lehmann has apologised for Australia’s poor Ashes performance.

Coach Darren Lehmann is restricted by the options in his squad but Cricket Australia should buck the trend and fly a bunch of young players over for the fifth and final Test.

Retiring skipper Michael Clarke said it all himself after the Trent Bridge debacle.

“I think it’s the right time [to call it quits] to give the Australian team and the next captain that chance to prepare for the next Ashes series,” he said.

Clarke has enjoyed an outstanding career and deserves to be remembered as one of our very best in recent times.

But is one final Test going to change anything? He is a champion – regardless of what happens next week.

There’s no room for sentiment in sport, and one more Test he plays is one less for a youngster who might just be our next skipper.

Unfortunately, you can pretty much pick our XI for The Oval already.

Expect something like this: David Warner, Chris Rogers, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Clarke, Adam Voges, Peter Nevill, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.

That’s four over-30s and and just two players under 25.

Clarke will get his farewell but we won’t necessarily learn much about the future of Australian cricket.

This is the team we should go with. Let’s not waste such a great opportunity.

1. David Warner

Bancroft plays one through the off-side. Photo: Getty

With 333 runs in the series at 41.62, he has done his job. He’ll be disappointed he hasn’t converted four 50s into one ton, but at 28 he has plenty of time on his side. Could take on a leadership role once the retirements are complete.

2. Cameron Bancroft

He’s just 22, but his patience at the crease belies his years. And it is patience that is desperately needed in our top order. Bancroft scored 896 Sheffield Shield runs last season at 47.15, including three centuries. Would be a like-for-like replacement for Chris Rogers – but 15 years younger.

3. Steve Smith (captain)

This Test should be his first as permanent captain. Australia are lucky to have such an excellent replacement for Michael Clarke. His unorthodox technique has come under question recently but his outstanding record says he will bounce back. 

4. Usman Khawaja

Khawaja’s class should mean he works his way back into a Test side he has already represented nine times. Was in outstanding form last summer before breaking down with injury but has been in the runs for Australia A recently. 

5. Joe Burns

Handscomb celebrates a ton. Photo: Getty

Another Queensland batsman who has had a taste of Test cricket. It was a surprise that Burns – who hit 793 Shield runs at 52.86 last season – wasn’t included on the tour of the West Indies and England. Showed he can play against India last summer, though, and has plenty of cricket in front of him.

6. Jake Doran

He’s just 18 but the left-hander, who can also keep wicket, is widely considered as the hottest young prospect in the country. Yet to make his first-class debut, this would be an ambitious selection, but he’s already in England with Australia’s Under-19 team, which he captains. And he made a century earlier this month.

7. Peter Handscomb (wicketkeeper)

The Victorian played for Gloucestershire in England earlier this winter so he’s accustomed to the conditions. The 24-year-old smashed three hundreds in the Shield last season and is a superb player of spin. Peter Nevill, 29, has been given a chance but hasn’t set the world on fire. Time to see what Handscomb can do.

8. Mitchell Starc

While Australia have batted terribly in defeats at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge, having two aggressive left-armers in the side hasn’t helped either. Neither Starc nor Mitchell Johnson have it in them to be containing bowlers and patience with the ball is vital at Test level. So drop the ageing Johnson and let Starc be the strike bowler. His six-wicket haul at Nottingham showed he can play the role.

9. Josh Hazlewood

Sandhu bowling for Australia. Photo: Getty

He didn’t bowl with enough purpose at Trent Bridge but the 24-year-old showed what he can do earlier in the series. He has 16 wickets in the four Tests and has all the attributes to lead Australia’s attack for many years to come. Expect a response from him at The Oval.

10. Nathan Lyon

Has taken just three wickets in the past two Tests but the batsmen are hardly giving the off-spinner a chance. He needs fourth- and fifth-day pitches to have a big impact in England. Ashton Agar is improving all the time, and his 31 Shield wickets last season show that, but Lyon’s done nothing wrong and doesn’t deserve to be dropped.

11. Gurinder Sandhu

The 22-year-old is 194cm tall, gets good bounce and can move the ball both ways. He is also economical, going for around three runs per over, and is capable of bowling long, miserly spells. The New South Welshman is bowling well for Australia A in India and is tipped to keep improving after making his one-day international debut in January.