'A Day for Thorpey' to celebrate England batter

The family of Graham Thorpe want to "celebrate his memory" on 'A Day for Thorpey' during England's fifth Test against India at The Oval.

Legendary England batter Thorpe took his own life last year after a prolonged struggle with depression and anxiety. He was 55.

The former Surrey player will be remembered on the second day of the fifth Test at the ground where he had a 17-year county career. That day, 1 August, would have been his 56th birthday.

In a nod to the trademark headband Thorpe wore while batting, headbands designed by his wife Amanda and daughters Kitty and Emma will be sold to raise money for mental health charity Mind.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Amanda said: "That day will be very powerful. We want to celebrate him and his memory. His light was so bright. He'll go on."

Kitty added: "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.

"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."

Thorpe famously became the first England batter for 20 years to score a hundred on their Test debut when he reached three figures against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993.

A stylish left-hander, Thorpe would go on to become one of only 17 men to reach 100 Test caps for England, scoring 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66.

Following his playing career, he held coaching roles with Surrey and England. He was part of the England staff during the taxing 2021-22 Ashes in Australia, played under Covid restrictions. He was let go after England lost that series 4-0.

He was named head coach of Afghanistan in March of 2022, then made a first attempt on his life in May of the same year, subsequently spending a prolonged period in intensive care.

"Working in the Covid bubbles, he found that tough," said Amanda. "He wasn't great at following rules at the best of times. He would turn up for a team dinner in the wrong clothes, that is if he turned up at all.

"The last tour he did when he was coaching, the Ashes, that was a really hard tour because there were still full Covid restrictions.

"It was all very stressful and he wasn't great on that trip. Then he came back, and, as happens, his job ended, then he got offered another job. It was hard for him, probably harder than we knew. He got a lot worse then, very quickly, actually."

Thorpe died on 4 August last year.

"It was impossible not to notice his spark and whole personality changed, over time to almost unrecognisable," said Kitty. "It was awful to see. What started as a mental illness turned into a physical illness.

"Over two years he aged about 15 years. He looked really weak. He found the most easy, menial tasks so challenging, like making a meal or walking the dog. He started struggling to even do that. He lost his strength.

"We tried many different treatments, but nothing worked for him."

In the run-up to 'A Day for Thorpey', Amanda has visited 'Bat and Chat' in Burton-upon-Trent - an initiative from Mind designed to support mental health through cricket.

The sessions are to be renamed 'Thorpey's Bat and Chat' and funds raised from the day at The Oval will be used to roll them out across the country.

"My dad was quite a private person, so for us to share his and our experience is important to help other people who have gone through similar things," said Emma.

"To start a conversation, to reduce the shame and stigma there are around these conversations."

Kitty added: "Our key message is to speak up and reach out for help early on. There is help out there. It needs to be spoken about more.

"There are great charities like Mind and many more. Hopefully over time this will grow, there will be more help and services. That's what we're raising money for."

If you're affected by any of the issues in this article you can find details of organisations who can help via the BBC Action Line.