Ben Hollioake, one of England's brightest young talents, has been killed in a car crash in South Perth, Australia. He was driving a black Porsche 924 in drizzly conditions, shortly after midnight local time, when the car spun out of control into a brick property fence. Hollioake suffered massive chest and head injuries, and is thought to have died at the scene. His girlfriend Janaya Scholten, 22, is fighting for her life at Royal Perth Hospital. There is no suggestion that alcohol was involved. Acting Inspector Greg Medhurst, said: "At this stage indications are that speed was within the limits for the area, but obviously more investigation is required to determine the exact cause."

Hollioake's parents John and Daria, travelling in a separate vehicle, were first on the scene after witnessing the crash. Ben and his older brother Adam had been in Perth to visit them.

In a statement, Adam Hollioake said: "The family is totally devastated at our tragic loss. We would ask the members of the media to respect our desire to mourn our loss in private."

Hollioake was just 24 years old. He played in 20 one-day internationals and two Tests for England, but is best remembered for a scintillating innings on debut against Australia in the 1997 Texaco Trophy. He was 19 at the time, the first teenager to play for England since Brian Close in 1949.

Paul Sheldon, chief executive of Surrey County Cricket Club, said: "This is devastating news. It is terrible to lose such a supreme talent as Ben, just as he was beginning to realise his full potential as a cricketer."

Hollioake was a member of England's one-day squad during the recent series in India and New Zealand, and last played at Kanpur in the fourth match in India. He played most of his cricket for Surrey under the captaincy of his brother Adam, who also captained the England one-day team in 1997-1998. Together they won a stack of medals - for the County Championship in 1999 and 2000, and the Benson & Hedges Cup in 1997 and 2001. Ben's contributions in the Championship were patchy but in the B&H, both times, he played a matchwinning innings in the final at Lord's.

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