Ex-England cricket star Graham Thorpe has died aged 55

Former England batter and coach Graham Thorpe has died at the age of 55, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced.

Thorpe was regarded as one of the finest batters of his generation and played 100 Tests for England.

The counterattacking left-hander was an England Test regular, scoring 16 centuries and featuring 82 times for the ODI side, as well as enjoying a 17-year career with Surrey.

He captained England on three occasions and served in various coaching roles for his country between 2010 and 2022.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away,” the ECB said.

“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 team-mates 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.”

England Test captain Ben Stokes posted love heart emojis alongside a picture on his social media channels, while modern-day batting great Joe Root called Thorpe his “hero, mentor and so much more,” adding “rest in peace and thanks for everything.”

Stuart Broad added on his Instagram story: “Genuinely gutted. Loved Thorpey. As a kid I would run in from the garden to watch him bat. The Kookaburra Bubble and that famous knee up pull shot.

“Got to know him through his coaching roles with England and he was a wonderful person with a beautiful family.”

Debut century in the Ashes

Thorpe, who played for England between 1993 and 2005, scored a century on debut against Australia at Trent Bridge and quickly became a key player in England’s Test and limited overs teams in the mid-1990s and early 2000s.

His final Test was against Bangladesh in June 2005 and, after being left out of that summer’s victorious Ashes series, he called time on his international career.

With more than 6,700 Test runs at an average of almost 45, he is England’s 10th highest scorer of all time.

‘Legend and hero’

Michael Vaughan, who captained Thorpe towards the end of his Test career, wrote on X he was “a great player and a brilliant team-mate” who had “gone far too young”.

Current England opener Ben Duckett also wrote on X, saying: “Heartbreaking to see Thorpey has passed away. He was one of my heroes growing up and I was fortunate to work with him.”

Former England batter David Gower said Thorpe was successful against all types of bowling, including making runs against West Indies’ pace attack and Australian spin great Shane Warne, and “showed how good he was in all conditions. He got runs at home, he got runs away.”

Gower added that Thorpe was occasionally prone to self-doubt, such as when he left the 2001-2 tour of India early, but said most people looking back on his career will remember his “Ashes hundreds, three of those, hundreds against the West Indies, hundreds pretty much everywhere.”

Thorpe’s finest hour, Gower said, came in Karachi in 2000 when his unbeaten half-century (finished in near-darkness) guided England to their first series win in Pakistan in 39 years.

Former England spinner Shaun Udal, who played with Thorpe, described him on X as a “little legend”.

A ‘warrior’ in the line-up

Surrey chief executive Steve Elworthy said on X: “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.”

Dean Headley, who played with Thorpe in the Ashes in 1997, called him on X “a warrior in our batting line-up and a player not talked about enough for his elegance and style of play.”

Thorpe stayed in the game after his retirement from playing, moving to New South Wales where he worked with a young Steve Smith and David Warner, Australian batting stars of the future.

He returned to work with England as a batting coach.

In 2022, he stepped up to guide the team to a nailbiting draw in the Sydney Test after head coach Chris Silverwood caught COVID-19 before quitting his role following defeat in that Ashes series.

Thorpe was appointed as Afghanistan’s head coach that July but was taken “seriously ill”, shortly after.