As India and England prepare for the final Test at The Oval, the cricket world will be remembering Graham Thorpe at his home ground.
August 1 would have been his 56th birthday. The ECB will be honouring him at lunch on August 2. He was a composed and tough bloke.
He played 100 Tests for England. Last August he died after being hit by a train at Esher railway station in Surrey. The inquest revealed he had struggled with mental health issues – anxiety, depression and a brain injury after a suicide attempt in 2022.
His widow Amanda told the court he had talked about going to Switzerland and asked for help to end his life. She said his final weeks were marked by isolation, fear and despair as he told her he didn’t want to be here.
Indian fans will always remember Thorpe for England’s win in Karachi in 2000. He calmly led the team to victory in almost complete darkness – England’s first Test series win in Pakistan in 39 years.
He started his career with a century against Australia in 1993 and played important roles under captains Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan. He wasn’t part of the 2005 Ashes winning team but his 16 Test centuries are remembered as a legacy of quiet skill and consistency.
The inquest said Thorpe’s mental health deteriorated after the 2021-22 Ashes tour of Australia where England got thrashed. During that tour he was involved in an incident in Tasmania where he was smoking and drinking indoors. A video was leaked and the ECB launched an investigation and he was sacked as batting coach.
Amanda Thorpe told the court he was devastated by the sacking. “If he hadn’t been on that tour he wouldn’t have been sacked – and that was what he couldn’t deal with.”
Read Also: Bharat Arun Moves to LSG as Bowling Coach
He was later offered a coaching job with the Afghanistan national team but he wasn’t well enough. “He tried to do it,” his wife said, “but I had to tell them he was too unwell. ”Mental health in sport is becoming a bigger issue in India and England. Former cricketers like Virat Kohli and Abhinav Mukund have spoken about mental fatigue, anxiety and the pressure to perform. In 2020 Kohli said during the 2014 England tour he “felt like the loneliest guy in the world”.
Sports psychologists say sports organisations should take responsibility for the well-being of players after they retire, especially those who become coaches without support.
The ECB will be honouring Thorpe on Friday August 2 at lunch at The Oval. Former teammates remember him as a quiet skilled bloke who was respected and admired for his calmness under pressure, often steadying the ship for England.
As India and England play again, fans will pause to remember a man whose birthday is on the first day of the series and whose memory will be honored by teammates, spectators, and the game itself the next day
