Former England captain Michael Vaughan and current Test skipper Ben Stokes have led the tributes to Graham Thorpe following his death at the age of 55.
News of the legendary cricketer’s passing on Monday morning was greeted by a flood of statements from his former colleagues, as well as his old county Surrey and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Vaughan, who captained Thorpe towards the end of his Test career, thanked the left handed batsman for his advice during his career and said his thoughts were with Thorpe’s family.
‘RIP Thorpey.’ Vaughan wrote on X. ‘Thanks for all the advice throughout my career, you were a great player and a brilliant team-mate. You have gone far too young but you leave as an England cricket legend… Thoughts with all who knew Thorpey and to all the family xxx.’
Test skipper Stokes tweeted five love heart emojis next to a picture of Thorpe with 564 on his shirt, denoting his Test cap number.
Legendary former England and Surrey cricketer Graham Thorpe has died at the age of 55
His former county Surrey described Thorpe as one of their ‘great sons’ following news of his tragic death
Former England captain Michael Vaughan and Test skipper Ben Stokes lead the tributes to the icon
Thorpe’s former county Surrey described him as one of their ‘great sons’.
Chair Oli Slipper said: ‘He is a legend of Surrey and brought great pride to the Club wearing both the Three Feathers and the Three Lions.
‘He made outstanding contributions to the Club as a cricketer, and as a man, and he will be so sorely missed.’
Steve Elworthy, Surrey chief executive, said: ‘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.
‘Our thoughts and condolences are with Graham’s family and friends, to whom we will offer any support that we are able to. We ask that everyone respects the privacy of the family at this incredibly difficult time.’
Former England and Hampshire bowler Shaun Udal lauded a ‘great player and human being’ in a post following the tragic news.
‘Such tragic news about Graham Thorpe, played with and against the little legend since the age of 10, great player and human being, so young, thoughts with his family and friends x,’ he wrote.
Another of Thorpe’s former team-mates Derek Pringle said the batsman was a ‘fabulous cricketer’ despite his troubles, writing: ‘Graham Thorpe had his demons but this is just such a sad day…..RIP Thorpey, a fabulous cricketer and team mate.’
Thorpe played exactly 100 Tests and scored 16 centuries for England before retiring in 2005
Tributes from his former colleagues flooded in following news of his passing on Monday morning
Thorpe played exactly 100 Tests and scored 16 centuries before retiring in 2005.
During his playing career, Thorpe averaged an impressive 44.7 runs in Test matches. His highest score was 200 not out and the talented middle-order batsmen also played 77 One Day Internationals.
One of his most memorable Test innings came in 2000 against Pakistan in Karachi. After a final day implosion from the hosts, Thorpe produced an unbeaten 64 in near darkness towards the end of his innings to lead England to their first series win in Pakistan for 39 years, and Pakistan’s first loss at the National Stadium in 35 years.
Thorpe racked up more than 2,000 runs in the shorter format of the game and his intelligence and leadership allowed a smooth transition into coaching when he retired from playing in 2006.
He went on to begin a coaching career in Australia, where he worked with the likes of Steve Smith and David Warner at New South Wales, before joining the England and Wales Cricket Board as a batting coach.
He worked as assistant with the senior side under Trevor Bayliss and Chris Silverwood, stepping up to lead the team in that winter’s Sydney Test against Australia due to Silverwood’s coronavirus diagnosis.
The PCA said that they were devastated to hear of the death of the former left-handed batsman
Thorpe averaged an impressive 44.7 runs in Test matches. His highest score was 200 not out
He left his role at the end of the series, before being named head coach of Afghanistan in March 2022. Unfortunately, he would never take up that role after falling seriously ill. Stokes wore Thorpe’s name and number ahead of a match against New Zealand as a tribute following that diagnosis.
The Professional Cricket Association released a statement on Monday morning, saying that they were devastated to hear of his passing.
‘The PCA is devastated to hear the sad news of the passing of former Surrey and England legend Graham Thorpe.’ The statement on X began. ‘Our heartfelt thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.’
Current England opener Ben Duckett wrote on the platform: ‘Heartbreaking to see Thorpey has passed away. He was one of my heroes growing up and I was fortunate to work with him. My thoughts go out to all of his friends and family during this tough time.’
A statement from the ECB read: ‘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.
‘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.
Thorpe transitioned to coaching after his retirement and eventually returned to work with England between 20120 and 2022
He took charge of his country at Sydney Cricket Ground after Chris Silverwood was laid low by coronavirus, and helped secure a nailbiting draw to avoid a inevitable Ashes whitewash
‘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.’
