English cricketer Ben Hollioake killed in Australian car crash

England Test and one-day cricket international Ben Hollioake was killed in a car accident on Saturday, Australian police said.

Australian-born Hollioake, 24, died when the Porsche car he was driving spun out of control in Perth, Western Australia, the police said.

The crash in Mill Point Road, South Perth, occurred just after Hollioake had turned off Kwinana Freeway.

Hollioake had played two Test matches and 20 one-day internationals for England between 1997 and 2002.

His 22-year-old woman passenger suffered serious head and chest injuries and was in a critical condition at Royal Perth Hospital, a hospital spokeswoman said.

When Ben Hollioake, born in 1977, made his debut for England against Australia during the fifth Test in Nottingham in 1997, with his brother Adam Hollioake, he was, at 19, the youngest player to represent England since Brian Close in 1949.

It was also the only time in the 20th century that brothers had made debuts in the same Test.

Meanwhile, the England flag was lowered to half-mast during the second cricket Test match at the Basin Reserve on Saturday in tribute to Ben Hollioake.

England team management has requested that a minute's silence be observed before the start of Sunday's fourth day's play.