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Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe took his own life, his family has said. The legendary cricketer, who played 100 Tests and 85 ODIs, died last week. Thorpe's wife, Amanda, said the former cricketer was suffering from anxiety and depression, and that he believed that the family would be better off without him, adding that his death came as a devastating blow to them.
Graham Thorpe played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs and scored over 9,000 runs in his international career. The middle-order batter's career at the highest level spanned 13 years between 1993 and 2005.
"Despite having a wife and two daughters whom he loved and who loved him, he did not get better. He was so unwell in recent times and he really did believe that we would be better off without him and we are devastated that he acted on that and took his own life," Thorpe's wife Amanda told The Times. The England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on August 5 that Thorpe died, aged 55.
Amanda revealed that Graham Thorpe tried to take his own life in 2022. The cricketer's wife said the family tried its best to help Thorpe recover, but none of their attempts bore fruit.
Notably, in March 2022, Graham Thorpe was appointed as the head coach of the Afghanistan men's cricket team but he was not able to assume the role due to health issues.
"For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety. This led him to make a serious attempt on his life in May 2022, which resulted in a prolonged stay in an intensive care unit. Despite glimpses of hope and of the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times got very severe. We supported him as a family, and he tried many, many treatments but unfortunately, none of them really seemed to work," she said.
Thorpe began his international career in 1993 with a century on his Test debut against Australia, becoming the first English player to achieve this feat in 20 years. He went on to play 100 Test matches, scoring 6,744 runs at an average of 44.7, with his highest score being 200 not out against New Zealand in 2002. Thorpe also played 82 One Day Internationals (ODIs) from 1993 to 2002, making 2,380 runs at an average of 37.2.
Thorpe's playing career was marked by his ability to adapt to different conditions and opponents. He was known for his stylish and resilient left-handed batting style, which earned him the respect of his teammates and opponents alike. His Test career was highlighted by several notable performances, including a century on his debut, a match-winning effort in Christchurch in 2002, and a heroic 64 not out in Karachi that secured England's first series victory in Pakistan in 39 years.
After retiring from playing, Thorpe transitioned into coaching. He began by mentoring players with New South Wales before joining his old side Surrey. In 2013, he became the batting coach for England's white ball teams and later switched to the red ball side in 2019. Unfortunately, he was dismissed as part of the 4-0 Ashes defeat to Australia in 2022.
