Ben Hollioake, younger brother of Adam, was a very different character - much more relaxed and carefree but just as competitive. The two once claimed that their successes were due in part to their personal competition. Remarkably, both made their Test debuts in the same game - the fifth Test against Australia at Nottingham in 1997. It was the only time two brothers made their Test debuts together in the 20th century. Aged 19, Ben was the youngest England debutant since Brian Close in 1949.

Hollioake was very much a "big occasion" cricketer, scoring runs rapidly all round the wicket. He was also a lively medium pace bowler, capable of swinging the ball either way. On his Trent Bridge Test debut he seemed ill-equipped to carry out the strategy of watchful defence he attempted. He scored 28 in the first innings but failed in the second, and took 2 for 83 in the match. He was left out of the final Test of the series, and his only other Test appearance was the solitary game against Sri Lanka the following summer. Like many of his colleagues he was dismissed twice by Muralitharan, scoring 14 and 0.

Hollioake made an immediate impression on his one-day international debut, scoring a rapid 63 against Australia in the third ODI in 1997. He followed this with 98 in his next match at Lord's, the B&H final, which won him the Man-of-the-Match award. It came as no surprise when he was voted Young Cricketer of the Year by the Cricket Writers' Club.

Such exciting potential took time to develop, however, and by the start of the 2001 season Hollioake had still only played in two Tests and seven ODIs. He was recalled to England colours for the NatWest Triangular Tournament against Pakistan and Australia, and although he ended the series wicketless, he impressed with the bat on two occasions.

He made 37* against Australia at Bristol, contributing to a quickfire end-of-innings stand of 70 with Owais Shah in 7.2 overs, and 53 in an otherwise forgettable England batting performance against Pakistan at Headingley. It was enough to secure selection for the short tour of Zimbabwe in October, and the winter one-day squad to tour India and New Zealand. After playing in India, Hollioake was kept out of the New Zealand series by a knee injury.

Ben Hollioake was tragically killed, aged just 24, in a car accident whilst holidaying in Australia after the end of the one-day series in New Zealand. His funeral in Perth was attended by many of his former team-mates, including the England captain Nasser Hussain and his predecessor Alec Stewart. (Copyright CricInfo, April 2002)