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Key Points

England players paid tribute to Graham Thorpe by wearing special headbands on Day 2 of the fifth Test against India. The initiative raises funds for mental health charity Mind while honoring Thorpe’s legacy. The late cricketer, who battled depression, was a key figure in England’s batting lineup and later as a coach. Meanwhile, England dominated the morning session with Zak Crawley hitting a half-century.

Key Points: England Players Honor Graham Thorpe With Special Headbands in Test

  • England players wear headbands co-designed with Thorpe's family
  • Funds raised for mental health charity Mind
  • Thorpe scored 6,744 Test runs for England
  • He mentored stars like Stokes and Root
2 min read

England players wear special headbands to pay tribute to late Graham Thorpe

England cricketers wear tribute headbands for late Graham Thorpe, raising mental health awareness during India Test at The Oval.

"A Day for Thorpey will raise money for mental health charity Mind – England Cricket Board"

London, August 1

On Day 2 of the fifth and final Test match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between India and England at the Oval, the Three Lions are wearing special headbands to pay tribute to the life and legacy of late English batter Graham Thorpe, who died by suicide last year.

The headbands have been co-designed with Graham's family. '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.

Thorpe died by suicide at the age of 55 on August 4, after years of battle with what his wife Amanda described as "major depression and anxiety". Thorpe made his international debut in 1993 and was the mainstay of the English batting throughout the late 90s and early 2000s.

The southpaw played 100 Tests and scored 6744 runs at an average of 44.66, with 16 hundreds and 39 fifties to his name. His highest score was 200*. In ODIs, the gritty batter scored 2380 runs at an average of 37.18 with 21 fifties. Thorpe was a Surrey legend.

The England great was instrumental in shaping the careers and craft of many English modern-day greats, including Stokes and Joe Root, working in the coaching staff of both the England Lions and the England senior team.

Coming to the match, a five-wicket haul by pacer Gus Atkinson and a quickfire 92-run opening stand by Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley pushed India to the back foot during the first session of the second day of the fifth Test against England at The Oval on Friday.

At the end of the session's play, England was 109/1, with Crawley (52*) and Ollie Pope (12*) unbeaten. They trail by 115 runs. India kick-started day two at 204/6, with Karun Nair (52*) and Washington Sundar (19*) unbeaten.

Brief Scores: England: 109/1 (Zak Crawley 52*, Ben Duckett 43, Akash Deep 1/46) vs India.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

A
Ananya R
Very touching moment. We Indians understand the importance of paying respects to legends. Remember how our team wore black armbands for Shane Warne? Cricket is more than just a game - it's about brotherhood.
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Siddharth J
While the tribute is nice, I wish BCCI would also do more for mental health of our players. Remember what happened with Sreesanth and others? We need better support systems in Indian cricket too.
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Priya S
As someone who battled depression, this really hits home. Sports stars are humans too. Kudos to England for normalizing mental health conversations. Hope our Indian media stops trolling players at every failure now!
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Vikram M
Thorpe was a legend who played some memorable innings against India too. Remember his fighting knocks in 2001 series. Respect from an Indian cricket fan. May his soul rest in peace.
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Kavya N
The headband idea is so thoughtful! Mental health matters more than winning or losing. Hope our Indian players also feel comfortable speaking up when they need help. #BreakTheStigma
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Michael C
As an Englishman living in Mumbai, I'm proud of this gesture. Indian fans' respect for this tribute shows why cricket connects our nations beyond boundaries. Thorpe would have loved this

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