Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey batter, has died aged 55, the ECB has announced.
Thorpe, who played 100 Tests for England between 1993 and 2005 and went on to work as batting coach for the senior men’s team, was taken “seriously ill” in 2022, shortly after being named as Afghanistan’s head coach.
During his playing career, Thorpe scored 6744 Test runs, with 16 hundreds, and was also capped 82 times in one-day internationals. He played for Surrey between 1988 and 2005, scoring almost 20,000 runs for the county.
”It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away,” the ECB said in a statement. ”There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham’s death.
”More than one of England’s finest-ever batters, he was a beloved member of the cricket family and revered by fans all over the world. His skill was unquestioned, and his abilities and achievements across a 13-year international career brought so much happiness to his teammates and England and Surrey CCC supporters alike. Later, as a coach, he guided the best England Men’s talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game.
”The cricket world is in mourning today. Our hearts go out to his wife Amanda, his children, father Geoff, and all of his family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time. We will always remember Graham for his extraordinary contributions to the sport.”
Thorpe joined the ECB in 2010 as lead batting coach, and was part of the backroom team that oversaw England’s 2019 Men’s World Cup success. He went on to work as assistant coach to Chris Silverwood, although he was among a number of the coaching staff to depart in the wake of the 2021-22 Ashes.
He had been due to take charge of Afghanistan, after being appointed in March 2022, but was unable to fulfil the role.
After Thorpe was hospitalised in May of that year, England’s newly appointed Test captain Ben Stokes wore a shirt with Thorpe’s name and England cap number on the back for the toss at his first match in charge, against New Zealand at Lord’s.
Oli Slipper, Surrey’s chair said: “Graham is one of the great sons of Surrey and there is an overwhelming sadness that he will not walk through the gates of the Oval again. He is a legend of Surrey and brought great pride to the club wearing both the Three Feathers and the Three Lions.
“He made outstanding contributions to the club as a cricketer, and as a man, and he will be so sorely missed.”
Graham Thorpe, seen here with Joe Root, was part of England’s 2019 World Cup-winning coaching staff•ICC via Getty Images
Steve Elworthy, Surrey chief executive, added: “Everyone associated with the club is devastated by the tragic news of Graham’s passing. He achieved remarkable feats for club and country and was a hero to so many cricket fans.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with Graham’s family and friends, to whom we will offer any support that we are able to. We ask that everyone respects the privacy of the family at this incredibly difficult time.”
A tough, counterattacking batter, Thorpe scored a century on debut against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993. He went on to become one England’s premier Test batters during the 1990s and early 2000s, as well as a reliable one-day accumulator who featured at the 1996 and 1999 World Cups.
His career high point came during the winter of 2000-01, when hundreds in Lahore and Colombo helped England seal memorable series wins in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Twelve months later, he scored an unbeaten double-hundred from just 231 balls to set up victory in Christchurch.
However, after touring with England for 10 consecutive winters, the breakdown of Thorpe’s marriage in 2002 led to him retiring from ODIs and taking an indefinite break from the game. He returned after more than a year out of the Test side to score a century against South Africa at The Oval, his home ground, and help secure a drawn series.
His final England appearance was the occasion of his 100th cap, against Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street, with the emergence of Kevin Pietersen leading to Thorpe being dropped for the 2005 Ashes.
(espncricinfo.com)
