Alec Stewart will approach the final Test of his career insisting his desire to succeed has not diminished.

The 40-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman will say an emotional farewell to an Oval crowd in the final npower Test of the summer to end a career spanning 13 years - 4,711 days if the match goes the distance.

Nearly every spectator will be willing Stewart to finish on a high in his 133rd Test to help England level the series after slipping into a 2-1 deficit by their 191-runs defeat by South Africa at Headingley in the previous Test.

But should Stewart delight The Oval with a typically flamboyant innings on the ground where he has played most of his cricket it would halt a worrying trend of scores.

Stewart has scored only 144 runs in seven innings this series and has passed 50 only once while he has registered only one century in his last 54 Test innings - figures which would suggest his abilities are on the wane.

But as he completed his penultimate England training session at The Oval yesterday, Stewart insisted neither his desire had not diminished since he made the decision.

''I'd have liked to have scored more runs,'' conceded Stewart. ''As far as I'm concerned I've not lost the edge or the desire because if I had, the way I am, I'd have packed it in.

''You will still see me preparing exactly the same way for this game and the previous four games as I did for the previous 120-odd - the personal pride comes into it as much as me wanting to perform for the team.

''I've always been one who has left nothing to chance. As far as I'm concerned I've done everything possible to succeed in this series. I'd rather have scored more runs - you can never score too many - but I honestly don't feel I've lost that edge.''

He is determined not to become emotional until the match is complete, although that may not be possible with England and Surrey holding a presentation at lunch involving all Stewart's former Test captains except Allan Lamb, who is back in South Africa.

But as soon as that last ball is bowled, Stewart faces some tough decisions on his future with Surrey.

Stewart has been selected for every Frizzell County Championship match he has been available for by Surrey, but that may not continue following the emergence of Jonathan Batty as a wicketkeeper-batsman.

That has caused Stewart to re-evaluate and he may now consider a career outside cricket - possibly in hospitality - to accompany the inevitable offers of media work.

''Over the next six weeks I'll be deciding exactly what I'm going to do,'' he revealed.

''I've got some nice offers on the table at the moment and I've just got to weigh up between now and the end of October exactly what I'm going to do.

''All I've known since I left school is playing cricket so moving into a new career is a challenge for me and I have to weigh all that up - I have to decide once my England career is over what my challenges and goals are going to be to continue playing.

''I've always set my sights on trying to play at the highest level and once that's gone I've then got to work out if just playing county cricket without the bonus of playing international cricket is worth it and I've got to ask myself why am I still playing?''

He added: ''I think I will miss the challenge of playing with and against the very best players and going out in front of 30,000 people and trying to perform and putting yourself on the line.

''That's probably why I'm still playing at the age of 40 because I actually enjoy doing that and I enjoy that challenge.

"When that's gone that will possibly be the one thing I will miss most.''

He intends to use the winter watching Chelsea - ''when everyone else is in Dhaka I'll be in Rome watching Chelsea play Lazio'' - and he has been given strict instructions from wife Lynn to clear out the memorabilia he has collected during 13 years at the top.

''The one thing Lynn is looking forward to it's me clearing up all the rubbish I've collected over the years,'' he said.