The Surrey County Cricket Club will honour the life of former English famous cricketer Graham Thorpe on Day 2 of the last Test of the present five-match series between England and India at The Oval. Thorpe tragically committed suicide on August 4 last year, following a long struggle with mental health concerns.
Thorpe would have turned 56 on the second day of the final day. Thorpe, 55, who played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs for England, was crushed by a speeding train in August. The family later verified that he committed suicide.
Surrey CCC released a statement regarding the development on its social media sites.
“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 v India,” the Surrey County Cricket Committee (SCCC) announced. On what would have been Graham’s 56th birthday, a day for Thorpey will be hosted at the Kia Oval Cricket Ground in London to benefit mental health charity Mind, according to a social media post from the club.
The release even urged the supporters at the venue on August 1 to purchase a limited-edition headband, a similar merchandise which Thorpe would wear during his playing days.
“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,” the statement further read.
The former middle-order batter’s wife Amanda Thorpe and one of their daughters, Kitty Thorpe, recently expressed their sentiments on their motive to celebrate the day.
“That day will be very powerful. We want to celebrate him and his memory. His light was so bright. He’ll go on,” Amanda 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,” commented Kitty.
Thorpe had a prolific career for England and Surrey. After his international and domestic career came to a close, Thorpe took up the coaching space and helped guide England’s top talent to victories across all formats of the game.
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