Graham Thorpe, former England cricketer and coach, dies aged 55

Leading figures from English cricket have paid tribute to Graham Thorpe, one of the finest batters of his generation, after he died at the age of 55. Alec Stewart, who played with Thorpe at Surrey and with England, hailed him as a “legend”, while one of Stewart’s successors as Test captain, Joe Root, described Thorpe as a “hero”.

Thorpe’s death was announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Monday morning, after he was first revealed to be seriously ill in 2022. “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away,” read an ECB statement. “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. Our hearts go out to his wife Amanda, his children, father Geoff, and all of his family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time.”

Related: Clear-headed and clinical: Graham Thorpe was the type of batter captains crave | Vic Marks

Thorpe was a fluent left-handed batter – and right-handed bowler – who played precisely 100 Tests as well as 82 one-day internationals. He played a further 189 first-class matches for Surrey and in all scored 49 first-class centuries, including 16 Test hundreds for England, at an average of 45.04 before his retirement in 2005. More than that, “Thorpey” was a hugely popular figure, as has been reflected in the reaction to his passing.

“Having known Thorpey since he was 16 years old, I’m absolutely devastated and heartbroken to have lost my great mate,” Stewart said. “As a cricketer, his record speaks for itself and will rightly be remembered as one of Surrey and England’s finest ever ­players. As a person, he was even more special. My thoughts at this very sad and distressing time are with his wife, Amanda, and children and all those who were fortunate enough to have known him. RIP you little legend.”

Posting on Instagram, Root wrote: “Hero, mentor and so much more. Rest in peace and thanks for everything.” Also writing on Instagram, Stuart Broad said: “Genuinely gutted. Loved Thorpey. As a kid I would run in from the garden to watch him bat. The Kookaburra Bubble and that famous knee up pull shot. Got to know him through his coaching roles with England and he was a wonderful person with a beautiful family. Thinking of everyone who knew him today and everyone who was inspired by him.”

The current Test captain, Ben Stokes, paid tribute to Thorpe by posting a photograph on X of himself walking back up at the pavilion at Lord’s with ‘Thorpe 564’ – his Test cap number – emblazoned on the back of England shirt, which Stokes wore after Thorpe had been admitted to hospital in 2022.

Meanwhile, Michael Vaughan, who captained Thorpe towards the end of his Test career, one that began with a century against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993, wrote on X: “RIP Thorpey. Thanks for all the advice throughout my career, you were a great player and a brilliant teammate. You have gone far too young but you leave as an England legend.”

As a child Thorpe had been good enough at football to be selected for England Schoolboys and to be offered a trial with Brentford, but he chose instead to sign for Surrey where he was to spend his entire professional career.

Initially an all-rounder – on his first‑class debut against Leicestershire in 1988 he batted at No 8 and took the wickets of David Gower and Peter Willey – a back injury eventually forced him to stop his seamers and affected him ­throughout his time as a player; by the end of his career he needed painkilling injections just to bat.

He was also affected by issues in his private life. In 2002 he took an indefinite break from cricket as he coped with the drawn-out collapse of his first marriage. The experience of public humiliation in the media and separation from his two children led to what he called a “total breakdown”, but he returned to the Test team after a 13‑month absence in 2003 with a century against South Africa at the Oval, and the following year was the most successful of his career – in 20 Test innings in 2004, all at No 5, he averaged 73.15.

“I don’t know where my journey is going to take me over the next few years but I’m going to enjoy ­working it out,” he said in 2005, after he announced his retirement, his final Test coming against Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street.

Mike Atherton once wrote: “Of all the players I played with, [Thorpe] was the one whose state of mind most affected his play. A happy, contented Graham Thorpe is a world‑class player, his presence beneficial to any team. If something off the field is ­eating away at him, he cannot put it to the back of his mind and con­centrate on his cricket.”

Thorpe’s relationship with Amanda, who became his second wife, gave him the stability to do that. At the end of his playing career he moved into coaching, starting in Australia, where he worked with ­rising players such as Steve Smith and David Warner at New South Wales, before joining England, initially as a batting coach in 2010. He had most recently been assistant coach on the difficult 2021‑22 Ashes tour, which ended in a 4-0 defeat after which Thorpe, along with the head coach Chris ­Silverwood, and the director of cricket Ashley Giles, lost their jobs as the ECB set its sights on a “red-ball reset”.

There clearly remains great affection and respect for Thorpe within the current squad. The opener Ben ­Duckett wrote on X: “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.”

Paying tribute on behalf of Surrey their chief executive, Steve Elworthy, 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.”

England will pay tribute to Thorpe before the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford this month.