By John Etheridge, Cricket Correspondent
GRAHAM THORPE, who has died aged 55, was England’s best batsman between the end of David Gower’s career and the beginning of Kevin Pietersen’s career.
Indeed, many feel he was at least as good as Gower or Pietersen.
Thorpe was a sharp left-hander who could attack or defend, display a carefree approach or iron-willed patience.
He was good against fast bowling and an absolute master of spin.
Thorpe was one of the first names on the list of any England team for more than a decade in the 1990s and 2000s.
Thorpe later became a respected coach in England and Australia and the man who first spotted Joe Root’s potential.
He had a big impact on Ben Stokes’ batting, especially against spin.
His innings of 113 not out against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2001 was one of the best he ever played for England.
It’s rarely mentioned alongside the storming efforts of Stokes or Ian Botham but, make no mistake, it was an all-time heroic performance in extreme heat against top-class spin.
Thorpe scored 32 not out in the second innings (from 74-6) as England won by four wickets.
He was so devastated that he missed the team party that night.
Thorpe was born in Farnham, Surrey, and the story goes that he switched to left-handed because the edge of his back garden legs was shorter on that side.
He was good enough at football to play for England’s age groups, but opted for cricket instead.
He played for Surrey, England A and in 1993 he scored an Ashes century on his Test debut against Australia at Trent Bridge.
He made another brilliant century – 138 – against the Australians at Edgbaston in 1997.
He and Nasser Hussain put on 288 for the fourth wicket and England won by nine wickets.
It was an almost unique match of English dominance in the era of ritual beatings of the old enemy.
Thorpe’s highest Test score was an incredible 200 not out from just 231 balls against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2002.
He was overshadowed by Nathan Astle’s brutal 222 off 168 deliveries in the same match, but England still won convincingly.
In another famous victory, Thorpe scored 64 not out as England defeated Pakistan in Karachi in 2000 by six wickets.
In the end it was practically dark and there were no searchlights.
Thorpe’s last Test innings was 66 not out against Bangladesh in 2005, but England decided to drop him to accommodate the recently qualified Pietersen.
So Thorpe did not feature in the biggest Test series of all time against Australia that summer.
He scored 16 centuries in exactly 100 Tests at an average of 44.66.
Thorpe began coaching, working in Australia for New South Wales, where his coaches included youngsters David Warner and Steve Smith.
He was England’s leading batting coach for several years and assistant coach on the 2021-22 Ashes tour.
Away from the field, Thorpe’s first marriage broke up very publicly and he missed cricket as a result. He had two children.
Thorpe used to be shy and would sometimes spend hours talking to people about his problems.
He found love again and married Amanda, and she became a regular when he toured as part of the England coaching team.
He was his own man – he was fined £1,000 for refusing to attend an official event during the 1999 World Cup, for example – but I liked him very much.
He was open, honest and with self-deprecating humor.
After England’s fifth Test defeat in Hobart, Thorpe lit a cigar while drinking indoors with players from both teams.
The police were called, and he recorded their arrival on his phone with a comment. In a few hours, the video was released to the public.
Thorpe lost his job after England’s 0-4 defeat in that series, but was hired to become Afghanistan’s head coach within weeks.
However, he never took up the post, and in May 2022 the PCA released a statement revealing that Thorpe was “seriously ill” in hospital.
After that he was not seen in cricket circles again, although some of his former teammates tried to keep in touch.
The cricketing world will be deeply shocked and saddened by his death.
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: HIS Education