"He was a gritty and a fantastic batter who was always ready for a battle" - Cricket fraternity mourns death of former England cricketer Graham Thorpe

In a tragic news that rocked the cricketing world, former England batter and captain Graham Thorpe died at the age of 55 on August 4. Thorpe had been dealing with illness since being appointed Afghanistan's head coach in 2022, preventing him from starting in the role.

The Surrey-born cricketer enjoyed an illustrious playing career for England between 1993 and 2005. Thorpe played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs since debuting in international cricket against Australia in 1993.

He amassed over 9,000 runs in his international career with 16 centuries and 60 half-centuries in 182 appearances. The southpaw was renowned for his gritty yet elegant batting style in the middle-order and boasted an incredible Test batting average of 44.66.

Thorpe also went on to become England's batting coach and assistant coach after his playing career. He also coached the side on an interim basis in a T20I series against Pakistan in 2020 and the fourth Test of the 2021-22 Ashes.

Several past and present cricketers mourned the death of Graham Thorpe with heartfelt tributes on Twitter as below:

Current England Test opener Ben Duckett tweeted:

"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."

"Such incredibly sad news. So much to thank this man for; the guidance, the endless hours of help and the laughs. You’ll be sorely missed Thorpey," said Sam Billings.

"Such heartbreaking news to wake up to this morning. A great player who I was lucky enough to have as a team mate so many times. Ill miss you Thorpey Thought with his family and everyone at Surrey CCC. RIP," tweeted long-time teammate Darren Gough.

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ECB released their statement on the death of Graham Thorpe

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released their statement on former cricketer Graham Thorpe's death earlier on August 5. Apart from his stellar batting, Thorpe also captained England in three ODIs against Sri Lanka in 2001.

The beginning of the ECB's statement 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."

It continued thanking Thope for his immeasurable services to English cricket as a cricketer, coach, and mentor. He was part of England's backroom staff during their 2019 ODI World Cup triumph.

Besides his stellar run with England, Thorpe also finished with almost 33,000 runs combined in his first-class and List-A career for Surrey.