Graham Thorpe memorial day: Surrey to honour late England great on Day 2 of The Oval Test
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Former English batsman Graham Thorpe, who died by suicide last year, will be honoured by the Surrey County Cricket Club on the second day of the final Test between India and England at The Oval.
Thorpe played international cricket for England, as he starred in the English domestic games for Surrey throughout his 17-year-long career. Thorpe has played 100 Test matches for 6744 runs and the highest score of 200* for England in a decade-long Test career.
His ODI career also spanned 82 games, as he amassed 2380 runs in his career, but could not score a century despite having 21 half-centuries. The great English and Surrey player has nearly 22000 runs in first-class cricket.
Surrey to honour Graham Thorpe
Graham Thorpe, who died of mental illness, was hit by a running train, which his family confirmed as his attempt to commit suicide.
"The life of England and Surrey cricketer Graham Thorpe will be remembered and celebrated on Friday, 1 August 2025, during the second day of the final Test Match in the series between England vs India," said Surrey County Cricket Club in an issued statement.
"A Day for Thorpey will be held at the Kia Oval Cricket Ground, London, in support of mental health charity Mind, on what would have been Graham's 56th birthday," the County noted.
Surrey further confirmed, "A Day for Thorpey will raise money for mental health charity Mind through the sale of a limited-edition headband which resembles what Graham wore when he was batting for England. The headbands have been co-designed with Graham's wife, Amanda and daughters Kitty and Emma."
Graham Thorpe's family expresses their gratitude
Graham Thorpe's family have extended their gratitude to the Surrey County Cricket Club for their initiative to honour the former cricketer on his birth anniversary.
"That day will be very powerful. We want to celebrate him and his memory. His light was so bright. He'll go on," wife Amanda Thorpe told BBC recently.
"Death and grief in general isn't talked about enough, considering it happens to everyone. It surrounds us. When you add the layer of death by suicide, that makes it even more taboo," Kitty Thorpe, the cricketer's daughter, said in her statement.
"I understand it's difficult to talk about - people don't want to say the wrong thing. That doesn't help tackle the stigma around it. We need to change the way we're addressing the topic. That's why we're working with Mind to do something to help that," she further added.
"My dad was quite a private person, so for us to share his experience with his mental health, and our experience of it, it's important to me that we do that to help other people who have gone through similar things. And to start a conversation there and reduce the shame and the stigma that there is around these conversations," said the younger daughter, Emma Thorpe.
Stand to be named at Old Trafford, after Farokh Engineer and Clive Lloyd
The English county clubs are making several big moves ahead of the remaining matches between India and England. Former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer and West Indies great Clive Lloyd will be honoured by the Lancashire County Team for their services to the club.
They will be honoured with a stand in their name at Old Trafford in Manchester. The stand is to be inaugurated before the start of the India vs England fourth Test.
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