(AFP Photo)
The passing of Graham Thorpe highlights the ongoing need to address mental health challenges, even among elite athletes, and underscores the importance of reducing the stigma surrounding these issues.
Before the first Test between England and Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in Manchester, the England team wore black armbands to pay tribute to Graham Thorpe, the former England international cricketer and assistant coach.
Prior to the start of the day’s play, both teams and the match officials were observed wearing black armbands to honor the late former England international.
Graham Thorpe passed away after being struck by a train at a railway station, as revealed during an inquest on Tuesday. His wife Amanda disclosed on Monday in an interview with The Times that the 55-year-old died by suicide. The Surrey Coroner’s Court in Woking reported that he sustained “traumatic injuries” in the incident at Esher railway station, located southwest of London.
The left-handed batsman played 100 Test matches and 82 One-Day Internationals for England, accumulating over 9,000 runs, including 16 centuries in Test cricket.
From 1993 to 2005, he had a distinguished career as a stylish batsman for England, followed by 12 years in various coaching positions.
This was the first public tribute to Graham Thorpe, who also served as England’s assistant coach, following his death, which shocked the cricketing world.
Ahead of the opening match of a three-game series, giant screens at Old Trafford showcased a video tribute celebrating Thorpe’s career.
England’s stand-in captain, Ollie Pope, leading the team in Ben Stokes’ absence, praised Thorpe as “a great man” and reminisced about their interactions when Thorpe was the team’s batting coach.
“It’s hurt a lot of people in that changing room. He was a great man. I probably had two or three years playing with him as a batting coach and, as a person, I really admired him,” Pope revealed a day before the Test match.
Pope added, “I always remember him saying one thing to me which was, ‘Never let the runs you’re scoring define you as a person’. When you’re young, in a bit of a rut, that was exactly what I needed to hear”.
