A 100 Test Matches, 16 Centuries, 39 Fifties, an average of 45, a century on debut and a stellar 12 year career with the Three Lions. Graham Thorpe, one of England’s finest left handers and middle order batsmen, a Surrey legend and a fine cricket coach, tragically passed away aged just 55.
I always enjoyed watching Graham Thorpe play. He was fearless when facing pace and always had that bit of extra seconds to play quick bowling. Brilliant on the pull, Thorpe played exquisitely on the off side too, crunching those cover drives with elan. But what impressed me most was Thorpe’s unflinching grit. He played many an innings when the chips were down for England. Be it the Ashes or the fiery West Indian Tours or the testing South Africans or the spinning Asians, Thorpe held his own and became one of the mainstays of the English middle order in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Thorpe was known to be a tough nut mentally and whenever England were in deep trouble, Thorpe bailed them out on numerous occasions. He also made his mark in coaching too. He was an integral part of the coaching team when England won the ODI World Cup in 2019 and was then elevated from batting coach to assist Head Coach Trevor Bayliss. However, a day arrived so shocking and unthinkable that this tough nut was consumed by depression and anxiety, so much so, that he took his own life, leaving behind a devastated family.
As disclosed by Thorpe’s wife Amanda, he had made a suicide attempt in 2022 as well. He had survived then but was hospitalised for a long period. It is indeed difficult to comprehend as to how a gritty, never say die, sportsman was convinced that his family and the world were better off without him. Such are the deep perils of depression and mental illness. It is a dangerous sickness and despite the fact that Thorpe was under consistent treatment, he succumbed to it and ended his life on the 4th of August, survived by his wife and two daughters. So tragic.
RIP ‘Tough Guy’ .
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Featured Image / Graham Thorpe/ pic courtesy skysports.com
This sorrowful narrative ( rather obituary) of a redoubtable England cricketer was a real shock for me. Somehow I missed the news about him until I read this blog today.
Thanks to Riz Khan for his useful , informative and timely updates on such legendary cricketers.
Thank you