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'I knew I'm gonna get it': Former England star recalls sledging episode with Shane Warne on Test debut
While speaking to The Grade Cricketer podcast, Hollioake recalled that when he came out to bat against Australia, he was surrounded by some of the stars of the Australia team and he knew he was going to have a tough time.
Former England cricketer Adam Hollioake recalled a sledging episode involving Australia spin legend Shane Warne on his Test debut. Hollioake made his Test debut in the 5th and final Test of the 1997 Ashes series in the UK — which Australia had won.
The former English allrounder had a good series in the limited-overs format against Australia, and much was expected from him as he stepped out to bat in the longest format.
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While speaking to The Grade Cricketer podcast, Hollioake recalled that when he came out to bat against Australia, he was surrounded by some of the stars of the Australia team and he knew he was going to have a tough time.
“I knew when I came out to bat, I’m gonna get it. You just know it,” Hollioake told The Grade Cricketer, according to Fox Cricket.
“You’ve got (Ian) Healy wicketkeeping, (Mark) Taylor at first slip, Mark Waugh at second slip, Warnie at third slip, Steve Waugh in the gully — you’re going to get it, aren’t you?
“I came out and I’m thinking it’s my first Test, I know I’m going to get it, I just had a really good performance against them in the one-dayers so I know they’re going to be out for me," he further recalled.
“I thought they might let me take guard first.
“(They said) ‘Here he is playing his first game for England, all his family back in Australia wishing he was playing for Australia — Uncle Rex’,” Hollioake further said.
The former right-handed batsman further recalled that the Australia players had found out the names of his relatives to hamper his concentration in the middle.
“I was like, ‘S**t, they know Uncle Rex. How do they know Uncle Rex?’
“Then they said ‘Aunty Jan’. I was like, ‘How the hell do you guys know Aunty Jan?’ They’d gone away and found out the names of all my relatives," he further recalled.
“All I can go to in my mind is, I knew Warnie was a bit of a womaniser at the time, I was like, ‘Has Warnie been with my Aunty Jan?’” Hollioake said.
“As I faced my first ball in Test cricket that’s all I can think about. My first ball is just a blur. I’m just trying to solve the puzzle, has Warnie been around to see my Aunty Jan?" he signed off.
Hollioake played 4 Tests in his career in which he score 65 runs at an average of 10.8. He also played 35 ODIs in which he scored 606 runs at an average of 25.2.
