London: The esteemed former England batsman, Graham Thorpe, has passed away by suicide, following an extended struggle with depression and anxiety, as confirmed by his family in a recent interview with a newspaper.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced the untimely demise of Thorpe, a distinguished batsman from England, at the age of 55. His wife and daughters have corroborated his death by suicide in a conversation with his long-time teammate, Michael Atherton, in a newspaper interview.
Thorpe's involvement in cricket had ceased following his dismissal from the role of an assistant coach following the England's Ashes 2021-22 series loss to Australia, which ended in a 4-0 defeat.
He had previously been slated to take up the position of Afghanistan's head coach but never did, following an incident where he attempted suicide in May 2022. At that point, he was reported to be in a critical condition in a hospital.
"For the past couple of years, Graham had been battling with severe depression and anxiety," Amanda Thorpe, his wife, shared with the Times, as reported by ESPNCricinfo.
"This led to a serious attempt on his life in May 2022, which resulted in a lengthy stay in an intensive care unit. Despite moments of hope and glimpses of his former self, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times were extremely severe. We supported him as a family, and he tried numerous treatments, but unfortunately, none of them seemed to be effective," she added.
"Graham was renowned for his mental fortitude on the field and his excellent physical health. However, mental illness is a serious condition that can affect anyone, despite having a loving wife and two daughters whom he adored and who adored him. He was in a very critical state in recent times and truly believed that we would be better off without him. It is with a heavy heart that we confirm his passing by suicide," Amanda concluded.
Amanda described Thorpe as a "free spirit" and reminisced about her favorite memory with him.
"He had his own unique way of doing things. My favorite memory of him is from Barbados, a place he loved, enjoying a rum punch and listening to his favorite reggae music after a swim... He was hilarious and always made us all laugh so much," she shared.
In 1993, Thorpe embarked on his international cricketing journey, becoming a pivotal figure in the English batting team throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. He represented his country in 100 Test matches, amassing 6744 runs with an average of 44.66, including 16 centuries and 39 fifties. His most notable score was 200*.
In the One Day International (ODI) format, Thorpe demonstrated his resilience and skill, scoring 2380 runs at an average of 37.18, with 21 fifties under his belt. He participated in two ICC Men's Cricket World Cups, contributing 254 runs in the 1996 edition held in Sri Lanka and then adding 125 runs in the 2003 edition, which spanned England, Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
In the ICC's rankings of Test batsmen, Thorpe reached the third position, preceding England's tour of the West Indies in 1998. His highest ranking in the ODI format was at the tenth position, as disclosed.
Following his retirement from cricket in 2005, Thorpe took on coaching roles with New South Wales, Surrey, and the England Men's team.
Throughout the 2010s, Thorpe was deeply involved with the England cricket team, serving as a batting coach during the 2019 World Cup, which was won by the European team on their home ground, a remarkable achievement.
In the 2021/22 Ashes tour of Australia, Thorpe served as England's assistant coach. However, his appointment as Afghanistan's head coach in March 2022 was postponed due to his health issues.
