Medlycott believes Hollioake's man-of-the-match knock of 73 in Saturday's B&H Cup final is testament to his new-found maturity as a player.

But the Surrey coach said there is work to be done to turn the talented youngster into the finished article.

The younger Hollioake burst onto the international scene at the age of 19 with a memorable innings of 63 from 48 balls in a one-day match against Australia at Lord's in 1997.

Rough diamond

But the early promise proved to be a false dawn as he soon faded from sight.

"Ben burst through early in his career and it is a reality of life that there are very few players who do well from 15, 17, 18 onwards who are a complete success straight away," said Medlycott.

"He is that bit older, playing more games and we at Surrey are now pleased with the progress that is now coming and the work that is being put in.

"He's got the potential but you have to get your hands dirty. He's doing it but we want to get there quicker.

"Understanding of how to prepare at the top level is another thing you have to learn and Ben is filling that criteria - and performances are coming because of it.

"There are different ways of measuring talent. Mike Atherton can bat for 10 hours in a Test match and Ben plays some of the sexiest shots in the world. They are both talented players.

"England are very excited about him but we want to smooth him out. We don't want a rough diamond. We want to turn him into a pearl."

And the players himself thinks he is not far away from putting himself back in the Test frame for England.

Mature

He was picked for England to play in the NatWest one-day series where he made scores of 37no and 53 against Australia and Pakistan.

He pointed to his innings at Lord's on Saturday and a greater level of consistency this year to back up his claim.

"It's hard to put a finger on why my game has come on but I've worked hard this year and it seems to be going well," he said.

"I've been more consistent and getting more mature. I've got quite a lot of games under my belt now even though I'm still quite young.

"Getting picked by England was great for me - for them to show that they think I'm a player of talent and for me to get a 50 and 30 proved to me I can still do it in pressure situations."