The England captain Nasser Hussain and Alec Stewart, his predecessor, were among hundreds of mourners at the funeral of Ben Hollioake, the Surrey and England player, here today. Hussain represented the England team, currently on tour in New Zealand, at the service at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic church in the port city of Fremantle. Hussain took Hollioake's England blazer with him from New Zealand, and returned it to the family.

Hollioake, 24, was killed when his Porsche hit a brick retaining wall after leaving a Perth freeway early on Saturday morning. Janaya Scholten, his 23-year-old girlfriend who was also in the car, remains in a critical condition in Royal Perth Hospital with severe head and chest injuries. They were returning from a family celebration in Perth when Hollioake apparently lost control of the car on a tight bend.

Hollioake was in Western Australia visiting his parents and taking a break after being part of the England one-day squad in New Zealand. His brother Adam, Surrey's captain and also an England player, was also in Perth.

Hussain was not expected to attend Hollioake's private cremation, which will be at Fremantle Cemetery on Thursday, as he will be flying back to New Zealand ahead of the third and final Test, which starts in Auckland on Saturday.

The England team will gather privately at their Auckland hotel at the same time as Hollioake's cremation. Mark Butcher, his Surrey team-mate and close friend, will sing a song of his choice.

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