ENGLAND cricket legend Graham Thorpe has died aged 55.
Thorpe captained his country during a long and illustrious career for England and Surrey.
Thorpe made his international debut in 1993 and scored a century on his first Ashes appearance, becoming the first England player to do so in 20 years.
Thorpe was an England regular and went on to play 100 Tests, scoring 16 centuries and featuring 82 times for the ODI side, as well as enjoying a 17-year career with Surrey.
His final Test appearance came in June 2005 before he was omitted from that summer’s victorious Ashes series and called time on his international career.
In a statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board said: “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.
“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 stayed in the game as a coach after his retirement from playing.
He moved to New South Wales where he worked with a young Steve Smith and David Warner.
He later returned to work as a coach with England between 2010 and 2022.
Thorpe took charge of his country in the familiar surroundings of the Sydney Cricket Ground after Chris Silverwood was laid low by coronavirus.
He secured a nail-biting draw to avoid a seemingly inevitable Ashes whitewash.
Steve Elworthy, Surrey chief executive, said “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.”
The Professional Cricketers’ Association shared a statement on behalf of Thorpe’s family in May 2022, saying the England legend had “fallen seriously ill” and was in hospital receiving treatment.
“His prognosis is unclear at this stage… our thoughts are with Graham and his family,” the statement read.
He is survived by wife Amanda and four children, Henry, Amelia, Kitty and Emma.
Thorpe was born on August 1, 1969 in the market town of Farnham, little more than an hour from The Oval.
He remembered being drafted by local side Wrecclesham’s Under-17s while still only eight years old.
Thorpe was spotted early by Surrey, who picked him up as an under-11.
Surrey never let him go, even when Brentford Football Club came calling with the offer of trials.
Thorpe showed enough football promise to be selected by England Schools as a ball-playing link between defence and midfield.
But he would go on to choose the summer sport and later became one of the country’s most accomplished players of spin.
By John Etheridge, Cricket correspondent
GRAHAM THORPE, who has died aged 55, was England’s best batsman between the end of David Gower’s career and the start of Kevin Pietersen’s.
Indeed, many reckon he was at least as good as either Gower or Pietersen.
Thorpe was a nuggety left-hander who could attack or defend, display a carefree approach or iron-willed patience.
He was good against fast bowling and an absolute master facing spin.
Thorpe was one of the first names on any England team sheet for more than a decade in the 1990s and 2000s.
Thorpe later became a well-regarded coach in both England and Australia and is the man credited as the first to spot the potential of Joe Root.
He had a huge influence on Ben Stokes’ batting, especially against spin.
His innings of 113 not out against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2001 was one of the finest ever played for England.
It is rarely mentioned alongside the barnstorming efforts of Stokes or Ian Botham but, make no mistake, it was an all-time heroic performance in extreme heat against top-class spin.
Thorpe scored 32 not out in the second innings (out of 74-6) as England won by four wickets.
He was so shattered that he missed the team party that evening.
Thorpe was born in Farnham, Surrey, and the story goes that he switched to left-handed because the legside boundary in his back garden was shorter that side.
He was good enough at football to play for England age-group teams but opted for cricket.
He played for Surrey, England A and, in 1993, scored an Ashes century on his Test debut against Australia at Trent Bridge.
He made another brilliant century – 138 – against the Aussies at Edgbaston in 1997.
He and Nasser Hussain put on 288 for the fourth wicket and England won by nine wickets.
It was an almost unique match of England domination in an era of ritual hammerings by the old enemy.
Thorpe’s highest Test score was a blazing 200 not out from just 231 balls against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2002.
It was eclipsed by Nathan Astle’s brutal 222 from 168 deliveries in the same match but England still won comfortably.
In another famous win, Thorpe scored 64 not out as England beat Pakistan in Karachi in 2000 by six wickets.
It was virtually dark at the end and there were no floodlights.
Thorpe’s final Test innings was 66 not out against Bangladesh in 2005 but England decided to drop him to accommodate the recently-qualified Pietersen.
So Thorpe took no part in the greatest Test series of all time against Australia that summer.
He scored 16 centuries in exactly 100 Tests with an average of 44.66.
Thorpe moved into coaching, working in Australia for New South Wales, where his charges included youngsters called David Warner and Steve Smith.
He was England’s lead batting coach for several years and an assistant-coach on the Ashes tour of 2021-22.
Away from the pitch, Thorpe’s first marriage broke down very publicly and he missed some cricket as a result. He had two children.
Thorpe could be maudlin and would sometimes spend hours telling people about his problems.
He found love again and married Amanda and she became a regular when he toured as part of England’s coaching team.
He was his own man – he was fined £1,000 for refusing to attend an official function during the 1999 World Cup, for example – but I liked him a lot.
He was open, honest and with a self-deprecating humour.
After England’s defeat in the Fifth Test in Hobart, Thorpe lit a cigar while drinking indoors with players from both teams.
The police were called and he filmed their arrival on his ‘phone, providing a commentary. Within hours, the footage went public.
Thorpe lost his job after England’s 0-4 defeat in that series but, within weeks, he was hired to become head coach of Afghanistan.
He never took up that position, however, and in May of 2022, the PCA put out a statement revealing that Thorpe was “seriously ill” in hospital.
He was not seen again in cricket circles after that although some of his former team-mates tried to keep in touch.
The cricket world will be deeply shocked and saddened by his passing.
