London, Aug 10 - Five England players, who were part of the miserable innings defeat in the fourth Ashes cricket Test against Australia at Headingley, have been asked to go back and play for their counties to rediscover their form before the series decider at the Oval.

England batsmen Ravi Bopara, his Essex colleague Alastair Cook, Ian Bell of Warwickshire and bowlers Nottighmashire's Graham Swan and Durham's Graham Onions have been released by the England team management Monday.

England and Wales Cricket Board managing director Hugh Morris said in a statement that following discussions with the England team management, it was decided to make a number of players available to their counties for four-day cricket this week.

'We are aware that we underperformed with bat and ball at Headingley and this decision is designed to give players an opportunity to spend time in the middle and get overs under their belt ahead of the decisive fifth Test at The Oval next week,' the statement said.

Bopara, in particular, has struggled in the series after making centuries in three successive innings against West Indies earlier in the year, and will figure along with Cook in Essex's squad for their county game against Middlesex at Lord's, starting Tuesday.

If the Headingley Test had gone the full distance instead of the seven sessions, the players would not have been able to play for their counties. Bopara and Bell together managed just 12 runs in the Leeds Test and they need to regain their confidence with the Oval Test Test 10 days away.

Chief selector Geoff Miller is under increasing pressure to drop Bopara from the Eleven, and media reports speculate that Surrey's Mark Ramprakash could be recalled seven years after he played his last international game.