England will pay tribute to Graham Thorpe and wear black armbands in the legendary batter’s honour during the start of their Test series against Sri Lanka, captain Ollie Pope has said.
Thorpe took his own life on August 4. The 55-year-old’s widow, Amanda, said he had been suffering “major depression and anxiety”.
“He’s such a sad loss to everyone: to the country, his family and the boys as well,” said Pope, who is standing in for the injured Ben Stokes. “He’s missed, and we’ll honour him this week.”
“We absolutely loved him” ❤️
Nasser Hussain and Ian Ward remember their former team-mate Graham Thorpe PIC.TWITTER.COM/QMYTE3GPQB
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) AUGUST 8, 2024
Graham Thorpe death: England tribute
A formidable left-hander who played in 100 Tests and 82 one-day internationals for his country between 1993 and 2005, Thorpe’s 6,744 Test runs for England featured 16 centuries.
He later took up coaching roles with New South Wales, Surrey and, between 2010 and 2022, England, working with most of the squad involved in the Sri Lanka series, which starts on Wednesday.
The teams will line up to applaud before the match begins, accompanied by a tribute video on the screens at Old Trafford.
“I remember him saying one thing to me, which was: ‘Never let the runs you’re scoring define you as a person’,” recalled Pope.
“In a bit of a rut when you’re young, that was exactly what I needed to hear. It shows, for me, what a people’s person he was. He was loved in the changing room.”
🗣️ “He’s a rockstar that could sing you a ballad and rock your socks off”
Joe Root pays tribute to Graham Thorpe ❤️ PIC.TWITTER.COM/UK7ZNQHYQC
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) AUGUST 21, 2024
Root ‘grateful’ to Thorpe
Teammate Joe Root said Thorpe had significantly influenced “so many” of England’s current team and played a “huge role” in Stokes’ development as a youngster.
“We’re all very grateful for all that he did for us – not just as a coach, player and inspirational person to look up to, but the man he was in the dressing room as well,” Root told Sky Sports.
“He was someone who could always change the mood if things were quite tough. He had a great sense of humour and could make difficult situations seem a lot easier.
“He was always great fun to be around, whether it was in training or away from the game. That’s something I’m really going to miss.”
