As India and England face off at The Oval for the final Test of the series, the cricketing world will pause to remember Graham Thorpe — one of England’s most gifted left-handed batsmen — at the ground he called home.
August 1, the opening day of the match, would have been Thorpe’s 56th birthday. But it is on Day 2, August 2, that the formal tribute will take place: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a remembrance during the lunch break, honouring a player who combined calm elegance with grit and resilience.
Thorpe, who played 100 Tests for England and was known for his compact technique and steely temperament, died last August after being struck by a train at Esher railway station in Surrey. An inquest last week heard painful testimony about his long battle with mental illness, including anxiety, depression, and a brain injury following a suicide attempt in 2022.
His widow, Amanda, told the Surrey coroner’s court that he had spoken of “wanting to go to Switzerland” and had asked for help in ending his life. “He told me he didn’t want to be here anymore,” she said, describing his final weeks as marked by isolation, fear, and despair.
For Indian fans, Thorpe’s name will forever be linked to England’s historic win in Karachi in 2000, where he calmly guided the team to victory in near darkness — England’s first Test series triumph in Pakistan in 39 years.
He made his debut with a century against Australia in 1993 and played key roles under the captaincies of Michael Atherton, Nasser Hussain, and Michael Vaughan. Though he missed out on England’s 2005 Ashes victory, his 16 Test hundreds remain a legacy of quiet brilliance and consistency.
The inquest heard that Thorpe’s mental health declined sharply after the 2021–22 Ashes tour of Australia, where England suffered a humiliating defeat. During that tour, he was involved in a late-night incident in Tasmania involving indoor smoking and drinking. A video leaked to the press, leading to an ECB investigation and his eventual dismissal as batting coach.
Amanda Thorpe told the court that the sacking devastated him. “If he hadn’t been on that tour, he wouldn’t have been dismissed — and that was ultimately what he couldn’t deal with.”
He was later offered a coaching contract by the Afghanistan national team, but his condition had deteriorated too far. “He tried to do it,” his wife recalled, “but I had to tell them he was too unwell.”
Mental health in elite sport is an issue of growing concern — in India as much as in England. Former cricketers like Virat Kohli and Abhinav Mukund have spoken about mental fatigue, anxiety, and the pressure of performance. In 2020, Kohli revealed that during the 2014 England tour, he “felt like the loneliest guy in the world.”
Experts in sports psychology say governing bodies must take proactive responsibility for the post-retirement well-being of players — especially those transitioning into coaching roles, often without institutional safety nets.
The ECB said Thorpe will be formally honoured on Friday, August 2, the second day of the match, during the lunch interval at The Oval. Former teammates have described him as a quiet craftsman, respected in the dressing room and admired for his calm authority at the crease — a player whose presence often anchored England’s innings under pressure.
As India and England meet once more in a high-stakes contest, fans will take a moment not just to watch a match, but to remember a man. A man whose birthday falls on the day the series begins. And a man whose memory will be honoured — by teammates, spectators, and the game itself — the very next day. (The writer is the London correspondent for The Tribune)
