Following a “serious illness” since 2022, former Surrey and England batter Graham Thorpe passed away at the age of 55, the nation’s cricket authority said on Monday. One of the best batters of his time, Thorpe was admitted to the hospital soon after Afghanistan’s 2022 selection as head coach; the specifics of his illness are unknown. Henry, Amelia, Kitty, Emma, and his wife Amanda are his four surviving children. The ECB released a statement stating, “It is with great sadness that the ECB shares the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away,” although it did not specify the actual cause of death.
“There don’t seem to be enough words to express how deeply shocked we are by Graham’s passing. Multiple instances of
One of England’s greatest batters ever, he was adored by cricket enthusiasts worldwide and a valued member of the game’s family, according to the statement.
With an Ashes century to start his Test career in 1993, Thorpe duplicated the achievement in Perth in February 1995 during the return trip. During the 2000–01 season, the left-hander played a key role in England’s back-to-back series victories in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Thorpe enjoyed success at the county level as well. He was picked at the under-11 level by Surrey and played for them for 17 years, scoring close to 20,000 runs for the team. “Graham is one of the great sons of Surrey and there is an overwhelming sadness that he will not walk through the gates of the Oval again. He is a legend of Surrey and brought great pride to the Club wearing both the Three Feathers and the Three Lions.” Thorpe was a lynch-pin of England’s middle order. He played 100 Tests for England between 1993 and 2005, averaged 44.66 with 16 centuries.
Oli Slipper, Chair of Surrey CCC, said, “He made outstanding contributions to the Club as a cricketer and as a man. He will be sorely missed.” Thorpe turned to coaching after his playing career. He began his coaching career in Australia at New South Wales, where he worked with players like David Warner and Steve Smith. He later became a batting coach for the England national team in 2010. Under Trevor Bayliss and Chris Silverwood, he assisted in coaching the England men’s team. However, he was fired following the Test team’s 0–4 crushing defeat in the 2021–22 Ashes series in Australia. After that, in March 2022, he was named Afghanistan’s head coach; however, he became unwell and couldn’t accept the position. The Professional Cricketers’ Association announced at the time, “Graham Thorpe has recently fallen seriously ill and is currently in hospital receiving treatment.” “We need privacy at this time for him and his family since we do not yet know his prognosis.
Graham and his family are in our thoughts and prayers.
