England’s cricketers donned white headbands in memory of the late Graham Thorpe on Friday, joining fans in honouring the 100-Test veteran.
Thorpe, one of the most respected batters of his generation and England’s assistant coach as recently as 2021, took his own life last August following a long battle with anxiety and depression.
Day two of the fifth Test against India would have been Thorpe’s 56th birthday and, with the match taking place at his home ground, Surrey chose to designate Friday as “A day for Thorpey”.
Headbands, similar to those the left-hander wore during his playing career but featuring Thorpe’s initials and likeness, were on sale for £5 to raise funds for the Mind mental health charity and the entire England squad wore them as they completed their warm-ups. By the end of play, around £125,000 had already been raised through purchases and donations.
Several of the England group, notably Joe Root and injured captain Ben Stokes, had close relationships with Thorpe during his coaching career.
Root and Ollie Pope, stand-in skipper this week, continued to wear the headbands as they took the field and India’s Mohammed Siraj briefly bowled in one. International Cricket Council rules usually dictate that only plain white, unbranded accessories can be worn but as they were not commercial logos, they received clearance from the officials.
Speaking ahead of the match, Stokes said: “Thorpey has been a very influential character as a player and a coach in English cricket. A few of us in that dressing room spent a lot of time with him coming through the ranks.
“It’s going to be a special day for all English fans, a special day for his family to see how much he meant to English cricket and how much he means to the current England dressing room. Obviously it will be an emotional day for a lot of people but also a day when one of the greats of the game can be appreciated.”
