Graham Thorpe of England.

Former England batter and coach Graham Thorpe passed away on August 5.

He was hospitalised with a serious illness in 2022 and was receiving treatment. Shortly before that, he had accepted the job as head coach of Afghanistan.

England and Wales Cricket Board took to X on August 5 to announce the former cricketer’s death. “It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away. There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham’s death,” the board said.

The board went on to say that Thorpe’s skill was unquestioned, and his abilities and achievements across a 13-year international career brought so much happiness to his teammates and England and Surrey CCC supporters alike. “As a coach, he guided the best England Men’s talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game,” the board said.

We will always remember Graham for his extraordinary contributions to the sport, it tweeted.

Thorpe played 100 Tests for England, scoring 16 centuries, before retiring in 2005. He started his coaching career in Australia before joining the England and Wales Cricket Board as a batting coach. He was an assistant coach for the men’s team under Trevor Bayliss and Chris Silverwood.