The Ashes: 5 England-born cricketers who played for Australia and vice-versa

#4 Adam/Ben Hollioake (England)

The Hollioake brothers played together in the 1997 Nottingham Test

As is often said, cricket runs in the family. Adam Hollioake and his younger brother Ben created history in 1997 by recording the rare feat of brothers making their Test debuts in the same match. Their accomplishment was embossed by the fact that they arrived together at the highest level of the game in an Ashes clash of all contests. While Adam went on to play three more Tests, Ben got the opportunity to represent England for only one more occasion before succumbing to a tragic car crash in March 2002 at Perth.

The Hollioake brothers were born in Melbourne to an Australian engineer and his Indonesian wife. Even though his father had played grade cricket for quite a few local clubs, Adam showed an early inclination towards Australian Rules Football which was much more deep-rooted in the fabric of the mining town of Ballarat. After learning the intricacies of cricket in Hong Kong when his father was stationed there for a brief period of time, Adam moved to England for his higher education.

Ben, who had shown enormous promise in Sydney's age-group cricket, joined his brother in relocating to Old Blighty. When the two all-rounders batted together during their debut Test at Trent Bridge, their father must have been torn between supporting his sons and cheering for his country. Eventually, he did not have to worry much as Australia cruised to a 264-run victory even as the Hollioakes made decent contributions with both bat and ball for England.

Place of Birth

Melbourne, Victoria (Australia)

Adam Hollioake - September 5, 1971

Ben Hollioake - November 11, 1977

Ashes Series

Both Adam and Ben - 1997 in England