England pay tribute to Graham Thorpe with commemoration at Old Trafford

Graham Thorpe took his own life at the age of 55

England paid tribute to Graham Thorpe before their Test against Sri Lanka (Nick Potts/PA Wire)

England have paid tribute to former player and coach Graham Thorpe before the morning of their first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.

Before the start of play, both teams lined up for a video tribute on screens, with a poem read out by Michael Atherton and a moment of applause before the anthems from the two nations.

Sri Lanka and England players donned black armbands, and the host side will be wearing theirs throughout the Test.

Thorpe took his own life after suffering “major depression and anxiety” according to his wife and children and died at the age of 55.

The former Surrey batter had been ill since May 2022, when he made a serious attempt on his life. After that occasion the England players had a shirt in tribute to their former batting coach, with Ben Stokes leaving the field in a shirt that read “Thorpe 564” for his first toss as England captain.

England will wear black armbands throughout the Test match (Action Images via Reuters)

There was a powerful poem and video played before the start of play (Action Images via Reuters)

Thorpe played exactly 100 Tests for England and scored 16 centuries before retiring in 2005. He hit 6,744 Test runs in his career at an average of 44.66 and went on to become England’s batting coach, a position he held until 2022.

The Sri Lanka Test match is the first international the side have played since Thorpe died, although in the Hundred there have also been minutes’ silence and black armbands.

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