The death of former English cricketer Graham Thorpe was caused by suicide; the family of the sportsman has revealed this. Thorpe played for England in 100 Tests and 85 one-day international games and was known to be fighting severe anxiety and depression, which, unfortunately, he could not win.
The family of Thorpe also came to the fore, and his wife, Amanda Thorpe, told The Times of the feeling of loss after the death of her husband. Nevertheless, he did not recover; he had a wife and two daughters who loved him. He insisted that he was so unwell in the recent past that he considered that it would be much better for everyone if he were no longer around, and from what he said, and having killed himself, he was probably right, she said.
England and Wales Cricket Board revealed that Thorpe had passed on on 5 August at the age of 55. Amanda went on to explain that her husband had committed suicide in 2022, and there is much the family tried to do to help him through different therapies, but his health kept on declining.
Thorpe played as a middle-order batsman, giving outstanding performances during his playing career, which saw him score in access of 9000 runs in international cricket. He came into the national side in 1993 as an excitable stroke-making opening batsman.
He almost immediately made an impact, becoming the first English player in twenty years to score a century in his first Test match against Australia. Due to his free spirit and ability to bounce back on the field, more so being brutal, he was respected by his fellows and rivals.
When he retired from playing, Thorpe immediately became involved in coaching, working with New South Wales, Surrey, and the England cricket team. However, being removed as the batting coach during the poor 2022 Ashes tour to Australia was a big blow.
Thorpe’s death has brought much sorrow and sadness to the cricket fraternity worldwide. Their way of covering his illness is a vivid example of the fact that even a man who has reached the top of his career may have hidden emotional issues. Such a tragic, sad tale is a reminder that professions in athletics, both the players and trainers, require appropriate consideration and management of mental disorders.
