Surrey and England players to attend Hollioake funeral

Members of the England cricket squad will be allowed to fly to Australia to attend the funeral of Ben Hollioake, which is to be held in Perth on Wednesday afternoon. The Surrey and England all-rounder was killed in a car crash in the early hours of Saturday morning.

The funeral will take place just two days before the third and final Test between New Zealand and England at Auckland, but the England management will not stand in the way of anyone who wishes to make the eight-hour flight.

"It would be down to the individual and if people wanted to go I don't think we can hold people back," said the England captain Nasser Hussain. "It's not a cricketing decision, that is a personal decision that everyone will have to take."

Ten of Hollioake's Surrey colleagues have left to attend the service, along with several club officials. Surrey have also announced their intention to hold a memorial service, for which a date will be announced shortly. A book of condolence is available, round the clock, at the AMP Oval.

Hollioake, 24, died at the wheel of his Porsche 924 when it left the road in Perth. His 22-year-old girlfriend Janaya Scholten suffered serious head and chest injuries. Her condition at the Royal Perth Hospital is described as "critical but stable".

Police have found no marks on the road to indicate that the crash was caused by high speed. "There can be a lot of oil on the road at this time of year, and there had been some rain earlier in the evening," said Inspector Ian Duggan.