England and Wales Cricket Board has announced that Former England and Surrey Batter Graham Thorpe has died at the age of 55.
Thorpe played 100 tests for England between 1993 and 2005 before working as a batting coach for the senior men’s team in Australia. He then joined New South Wales before joining the England Set-up from 2010 to 2022.
He was appointed as head coach of Afghanistan in March 2022 but couldn’t join the setup as he was admitted to hospital with a serious illness.
”It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away,” the ECB said in a statement.
It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away.
There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham’s death. pic.twitter.com/VMXqxVJJCh
— England and Wales Cricket Board (@ECB_cricket) August 5, 2024
“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, concluded the statement.
During his career, Thorpe scored 6744 Test runs, with 16 Hundreds, and was also capped 82 games times in ODI. He played for Surrey between 1988 and 2005 scoring 20,000 runs for the county.
“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,” said Surrey’s chairman Oli Slipper.
Thorpe scored a century on debut against Australia in 1993. During his period, he become one of England’s premier batters and has also featured in the 1996 and 1999 World Cups.
After his marriage, he retired from ODIs in 2002. His final appearance for England came on his 100th cap, against Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street.
“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,” concluded Surrey Cricket CEO Steve Elworthy.
