England Honors Graham Thorpe with Special Tribute During Test Match

Tribute to Graham Thorpe at The Oval

On the second day of the fifth and final Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval, England's cricket team donned unique headbands to honor the late Graham Thorpe, a former English batter who tragically passed away by suicide last year.

These headbands were designed in collaboration with Thorpe's family. The initiative, titled 'A Day for Thorpey', aims to raise funds for the mental health charity Mind through the sale of a limited-edition headband that resembles the one Graham wore while playing for England.

Graham Thorpe, who struggled with severe depression and anxiety, took his own life at the age of 55 on August 4. He made his international debut in 1993 and was a key player for England throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.

During his career, Thorpe played 100 Test matches, amassing 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66, including 16 centuries and 39 fifties, with a top score of 200*. In One Day Internationals (ODIs), he scored 2,380 runs at an average of 37.18, featuring 21 fifties. He is remembered as a legend at Surrey.

Thorpe played a significant role in mentoring many of England's modern cricket stars, including Ben Stokes and Joe Root, serving on the coaching staff for both the England Lions and the senior team.

In the ongoing match, England's pacer Gus Atkinson took five wickets, while an aggressive opening partnership of 92 runs between Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley put India on the defensive during the first session of the second day. By the end of the session, England stood at 109/1, with Crawley (52*) and Ollie Pope (12*) not out, trailing India by 115 runs. India began day two at 204/6, with Karun Nair (52*) and Washington Sundar (19*) still at the crease.

Brief Scores: England: 109/1 (Zak Crawley 52*, Ben Duckett 43, Akash Deep 1/46) vs India.