Former England batter Graham Thorpe, who played in 100 Tests and 82 ODIs for the Three Lions during his 12-year-long international career, passed away at the age of 55 on Monday, August 5.
The England and Wales Cricket Board took to X (formerly Twitter) to confirm the news of the former left-handed middle-order batter’s demise.
“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,” the ECB said in a statement.
“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 made his international debut for England against Australia in Manchester on May 19, 1993. His first red-ball match for the Poms was also against the Aussies in Nottingham on July 1 during the 1993 Ashes series. He scored a century (114*) in the second innings of his debut match as a No. 7 batter.
During his 12-year-long Test career, Thorpe amassed a total of 6744 runs for the English team. His career-best score was 200 runs, which he made against New Zealand during a Test match played in Christchurch from March 14 to 18 in 2002.
In ODIs, Thorpe scored 2380 runs in 77 innings of 82 matches. He finished his career with 21 half-centuries for England in the 50-over format of the game and also picked up two wickets. He represented England in the 1996 and 1999 ODI World Cups as well.
After his retirement Thorpe also served as the batting coach of England’s senior men’s team.
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