Former England batter and captain Graham Thorpe dies at age 55

Former England batter and captain Graham Thrope has tragically passed away at age 55 as announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday, August 5. Thorpe had been battling illness since 2022 and he eventually gave away, much to the dismay of cricket fans across the globe.

The statement released by 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. Later, as a coach, he guided the best England Men’s talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game," it added.

The statement concluded:

"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."

Apart from an illustrious playing career, Thorpe played the role of England's batting coach and assistant coach. He was also England's interim head coach during the COVID-affected summer of 2020 for the T20I series against Pakistan and in the fourth Ashes Test in 2021-22.

Thorpe was announced as Afghanistan's head coach in March 2022 but became severely ill before starting his new role.

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A look back at Graham Thorpe's illustrious international career

Graham Thorpe was among England and world cricket's best Test batters in the 1990s and early 2000s. Debuting for England in 1993, the Surrey-born cricketer played 100 Tests and scored 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66 with 16 centuries and 39 half-centuries.

He also scored a magnificent century on his Test debut in the third Test of the 1993 Ashes series against Australia at home. The southpaw is England's 15th all-time leading run-scorer in Tests and his international career spanned over 12 years before coming to an end in 2005.

Thorpe also enjoyed an excellent ODI career, scoring 2,380 runs at an average of 37.18 and a strike rate of 71.17 in 82 games. He boasts incredible numbers in the two World Cups in 1996 and 1999 with an average of over 54 in 11 matches. Thorpe also captained England in three ODIs in Sri Lanka in 2001.

Overall, Thorpe finished with over 9,000 international runs in 182 appearances for England.