Former England captain Michael Vaughan and current Test team leader Ben Stokes led the tributes to Graham Thorpe following his death at the age of 55.
News of the legendary cricketer’s death was greeted with a flood of statements on Monday morning from his former colleagues, as well as from his old county Surrey and the England and Wales Cricket Board.
Vaughan, who captained Thorpe towards the end of his Test career, thanked the left-handed batsman for his advice during his career and said his thoughts were with Thorpe’s family.
‘RIP Thorpey.’ Vaughan wrote on X. ‘Thank you for all the advice during my career, you were a great player and a brilliant teammate. You went far too young but you leave an England cricket legend… Thoughts with all who knew Thorpey and all the family xxx.’
Test captain Stokes tweeted five love heart emojis alongside a picture of Thorpe with 564 on his shirt, which represents his Test cap number.
Thorpe’s former Earldom of Surrey described him as one of their “fantastic sons”.
Chairman Oli Slipper said: ‘He is a Surrey legend and brought great pride to the club by wearing both the Three Feathers and the Three Lions.
‘He has made an extraordinary contribution to the club as a cricketer and as a person and we will miss him immensely.’
Surrey Chief Executive Steve Elworthy said: “Everyone associated with the club is devastated by the tragic news of Graham’s passing. He delivered remarkable services for club and country and was a hero to so many cricket fans.
“Our thoughts and condolences are with Graham’s family and friends, to whom we will offer all the support we can. We ask everyone to respect the family’s privacy at this incredibly difficult time.”
Former England and Hampshire bowler Shaun Udal praised a “great player and human being” in a message following the tragic news.
“Such tragic news for Graham Thorpe, who has played with and against the little legend since he was 10, a great player and person, so young. My thoughts are with his family and friends x,” he wrote.
Another of Thorpe’s former team-mates, Derek Pringle, said the batsman was a “great cricketer” despite his problems. He wrote: “Graham Thorpe had his demons but this is just such a sad day… RIP Thorpey, a fantastic cricketer and team-mate.”
Thorpe played exactly 100 Tests and scored 16 centuries before retiring in 2005.
During his playing career, Thorpe averaged an impressive 44.7 runs in Test matches. His highest score was 200 not out and the talented middle-order batsmen also played 77 One Day Internationals.
One of his most memorable Test innings came against Pakistan in Karachi in 2000. After imploding on the hosts’ final day, Thorpe produced an unbeaten 64 in near darkness towards the end of his innings to lead England to their first series win in Pakistan in 39 years, and Pakistan’s first loss at the National Stadium in 35 years.