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Senior England batsman Joe Root honoured his former mentor and coach Graham Thorpe with a 33rd century in Test cricket. Earlier this month, the renowned cricket player, who played in 100 Test matches for England, ended his own life. After reaching his century in the second Test match at Lord’s against Sri Lanka, Root gestured to the sky, recalling his role in helping him become a better player.
Following the play of the day, Root expressed his gratitude to Thorpe for his early career assistance. The 33-year-old said that without Thorpe, who coached Root’s batting for many years, he would not have been the same player. England, however, was under extreme pressure and at one point was 82/3. At that point, Root came into his own, hitting 143 runs to help the squad finish Day 1 with 358/7.
I’ve had the good fortune to collaborate with many people, including mentors, coaches, and veteran players. Thorpey was one of those individuals who gave me a lot of advice and support. Being able to consider him [Thorpe] at that precise moment was good. I owe a great deal to him, and I will truly miss him. Without his assistance, I most certainly wouldn’t be where I am now. He invested a lot of time and effort into my game and career, Root was cited as saying.
“Having someone like him was a blessing” – Joe Root on Graham Thorpe
Interestingly, Thorpe pushed for Root to be on the national squad. Since making his Test debut against India in 2012, Root has amassed 144 Test matches for his nation. Thorpe’s appointment as England’s batting coach shortly after Root’s debut further cemented the pair’s strong bond. Root recalled that and talked about how Thorpe was there for him at all times, particularly when things weren’t going well.
As a player, you constantly need to adapt. You need people to bounce ideas off of, people who can relieve some of your strain in different ways, and people who can communicate with you both when things are going well and when they aren’t. He was the one individual who remained consistent across those ten, eleven, and twelve years, so I was really fortunate to have him in my life,” Root remarked.
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“I have a really good understanding of my own game, and I could go to him under pressure. It evolved into more: we became good friends, and I really enjoyed hanging out with him.” It was pleasant to make a tiny homage. That was a small gesture of gratitude, but it meant a lot to me because of him,” he continued.
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