Former England Batter Graham Thorpe Passes Away at 55: A Tribute to a Cricket Legend
Graham Thorpe, a distinguished former England and Surrey batter, has passed away at the age of 55, as confirmed by the ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board).
After serving as the senior men’s team’s batting coach and participating in 100 Test matches for England between 1993 and 2005, Thorpe was declared “seriously ill” in 2022, not long after taking on the role of head coach for Afghanistan.
Thorpe amassed 6744 Test runs during his playing career, including 16 hundreds, and received 82 One-Day International caps. Between 1988 and 2005, he was a player for Surrey, amassing nearly 20,000 runs for the county.
“We share the news of Graham Thorpe’s passing, MBE, with great sadness,” the European Central Bank stated in a statement. “It seems impossible to find the right words to express how deeply shocked we are by Graham’s passing.”
Not only was he one of the best batsmen to have ever played for England, but he was also adored by cricket enthusiasts worldwide and regarded as a member of the family. There was no denying his prowess, and throughout his 13-year international career, his accomplishments and talents delighted colleagues as well as fans of Surrey CCC and England. Later, in his role as coach, he led the finest England Men’s talent to some amazing triumphs in every format of the game.
“Today, the cricket world is in mourning.” During this unbearably trying time, our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Amanda, his kids, father Geoff, and all of his family and friends. Graham’s outstanding contributions to the sport will live on in our memories forever.
Thorpe was a member of the backroom staff that managed England’s Men’s World Cup victory in 2019 and began working for the ECB in 2010 as the head batting coach. After the 2021–22 Ashes, he continued to serve as Chris Silverwood’s assistant coach, despite being one of several coaching staff members to leave.
After being appointed in March 2022, he was supposed to assume command of Afghanistan, but he was unable to carry out the duties of the position.
Ben Stokes, the recently chosen England Test captain, donned a shirt featuring Thorpe’s name and England cap number on the back for the toss during his first game in charge, an England match against New Zealand at Lord’s, following Thorpe’s hospitalisation in May of that year.
“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,” the chair of Surrey, Oli Slipper, said. “He is a Surrey legend who gave the team immense pride by donning 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.”
“Everyone associated with the club is devastated by the tragic news of Graham’s passing,” said Surrey Chief Executive Steve Elworthy. He was a hero to a great number of cricket fans and accomplished incredible exploits for both club and country.
“Graham’s family and friends are in our thoughts and prayers, and we will do everything in our power to support them. At this very trying time, we kindly ask that everyone respect the family’s privacy.”
Thorpe, a strong, counterattacking batsman, made his debut century at Trent Bridge in 1993 against Australia. Later in life, he developed into one of England’s best Test batsmen in the 1990s and early 2000s. He also made appearances in the 1996 and 1999 World Cups as a dependable one-day accumulator.
The winter of 2000–01 marked the pinnacle of his career, as centuries in Lahore and Colombo enabled England to achieve series victories in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Twelve months later, in Christchurch, he set the tone for triumph with an undefeated double-hundred from just 231 balls.
But following ten winter tours with England, Thorpe‘s marriage broke down in 2002, forcing him to retire from ODI cricket and take a permanent hiatus from the sport. After being absent from the Test team for over a year, he made a century at his home field of The Oval against South Africa, helping to secure a drawn series.
Kevin Pietersen’s rise to prominence meant that Thorpe was benched for the 2005 Ashes, and his 100th cap came against Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street, marking his final appearance for England.
That summer, Thorpe announced his retirement from competitive cricket. He then began coaching, first with New South Wales in Australia, where he worked with up-and-coming batsmen like Steven Smith and David Warner, before taking a position as batting coach at Surrey. After that, he managed the Lions for over ten years as a member of the England team for the ECB.
