Joe McConnell
Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe has died at the age of 55, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced.
The former Surrey left-hander was regarded as one of the finest English players of his generation, having played exactly 100 Tests and scored 16 centuries before retiring in 2005.
He captained England on three occasions and held various coaching roles for his country between 2010 and 2022.
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Vscek presenter and former Kent captain David Fulton remembers the “highly respected” Graham Thorpe following the passing of the Surrey and England legend.
“There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the profound shock we feel at Graham’s death,” the governing body said in a statement.
”More than one of England’s greatest ever batsmen, he was a beloved member of the cricket family and revered by fans around the world.
“His ability was undisputed and his skills and successes over a 13-year international career brought so much happiness to his teammates and supporters of England and Surrey CCC. Later, as a coach, he guided the England men’s elite to some incredible victories in all formats of the game.
”The cricket world is in mourning today. Our hearts go out to his wife Amanda, children, father Geoff and all his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. We will always remember Graham for his extraordinary contribution to the sport.”
Surrey chairman Oli Slipper led the tributes from Thorpe’s home county, where he made more than 300 appearances in both first-class and List A cricket during a 17-year career.
“Graham is one of Surrey’s great sons and there is immense sadness in knowing that he will no longer walk through the gates of The Oval. He is a Surrey legend and brought great pride to the club by wearing both the Three Feathers and the Three Lions.
“He made a tremendous contribution to the club as a cricketer and as a man, and he will be greatly missed.”
Players past and present also paid tribute to Thorpe, including one of his former England captains, Michael Vaughan.
“RIP Thorpey. Thank you for all the advice you gave me throughout my career, you were a great player and a brilliant teammate,” Vaughan wrote on X.
“You left us too young, but you leave us as a legend of English cricket… Thoughts to all who knew Thorpey and all the family xxx.”
Current England opener Ben Duckett also took to X, posting: “It’s heartbreaking to see Thorpey go. He was one of my childhood heroes and I was lucky to work with him.
“My thoughts are with all his friends and family at this difficult time.”
Graham Thorpe: 1969-2024
Thorpe made his first-class debut for Surrey in the summer of 1988, before establishing himself as a regular in the 1989 season.
He made his full debut for England at the age of 24, scoring 114 runs on his debut against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993.
Graham Thorpe celebrates his half-century of goals for England against South Africa in 2005
Thorpe would later become a mainstay of the middle-order with his unbeaten double-hunter against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2002, one of the highlights of his career: his innings included 28 fours and four sixes.
Thorpe played sporadically for England until his international retirement in 2005. He began his 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 was appointed Afghanistan national team manager in March 2022 after leaving England, but did not take the job due to health reasons.
