Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Graham Thorpe

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Graham Thorpe made an impact.

Graham Thorpe is a former English cricketer known for his solid technique and resilience. Representing England in 100 Test matches, he was a mainstay in the middle order for over a decade. A Surrey stalwart at the domestic level, he also played 82 One Day Internationals, featuring in both the 1996 and 1999 World Cups, showcasing his adaptability across formats. Thorpe also captained England in three ODIs, further highlighting his leadership qualities within the team.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1968: England's series victory in the Caribbean

In 2004, England secured a first series victory in the Caribbean since 1968.

1971: County Championship title with Surrey

In 1971, during a difficult international summer, Thorpe found success with Surrey, making nine appearances as they secured the County Championship title for the first time since 1971.

1978: England's first whitewash of a three-match series since 1978

In 2004, the 3–0 series score made it England's first whitewash of a three-match series since 1978.

June 1988: First-Class Debut for Surrey

In June 1988, at the age of 18, Graham Thorpe made his first-class debut for Surrey against Leicestershire, scoring 15 and 16 and claiming two wickets.

1988: First-Class Debut for Surrey

In 1988, Graham Thorpe made his first-class debut for Surrey.

1989: Establishment in Surrey Team and Selection for England A

In 1989, Graham Thorpe established himself in the Surrey team, scoring his maiden Championship century and surpassing 1,000 runs, leading to selection for England A's tour of Zimbabwe in 1989-90.

1992: Most Productive Season of Career

In 1992, Graham Thorpe had his most productive season, amassing 1,895 runs and finally converting fifties into a maiden double century on August 31 against Somerset.

May 1993: First Senior International Call-Up and ODI Debut

In May 1993, Graham Thorpe received his first senior international call-up and made his ODI debut on May 19 against Australia at Old Trafford, scoring 31 in a four-run defeat.

1993: International Debut and Century Against Australia

In 1993, Graham Thorpe made his full international debut, scoring a century on his Test debut against Australia.

1994: Ashes Tour and Century in Perth

During the 1994-95 Ashes tour, Graham Thorpe played in all five Tests, scoring his second Test century in the fifth Test at Perth. He also made his highest ODI score of 89 against Zimbabwe but was hospitalized due to dehydration.

1994: Dropped for Home Series and Highest List A Score

In 1994, Graham Thorpe was dropped for the home series with New Zealand but made his highest List A score of 145 not out against Lancashire in the NatWest Trophy while playing for Surrey.

1994: Witnessing Brian Lara's 375

In 1994, Thorpe was on the field as the opposition when Brian Lara scored 375.

1994: Return with aggressive intent

In 1994, after being recalled to the team, Thorpe returned with a more aggressive approach, playing his shots with greater intent. His attacking innings during the South Africa series were notable, with a high strike rate of 65.30, marking one of the highest in his career.

1994: Tour of the West Indies

In early 1994, Graham Thorpe toured the West Indies, playing all five Tests and top-scoring in the third Test with 86. He also scored 84 in the fourth Test, contributing to England's only Test victory of the tour.

1995: Consistent Scoring and Leading Run-Scorer Against West Indies

In 1995, Graham Thorpe continued his consistent scoring against the West Indies, becoming the first England player to surpass 500 runs in a home series. He was hit by a beamer and spent the night in the hospital.

1996: Appearance at the 1996 World Cup

In 1996, Graham Thorpe made an appearance at the World Cup as part of the England team.

1996: 1996 World Cup Performance

In 1996, Graham Thorpe participated in the World Cup, scoring 89 against Netherlands and an unbeaten half-century against Pakistan. He ended up as England's leading scorer despite a disappointing tournament for the team.

1996: Man of the Match and International Wickets

In 1996, Graham Thorpe was named man of the match in an ODI against India and also took his only international wickets in a subsequent match.

1996: Century in New Zealand

In 1996-97, during the tour to New Zealand, Graham Thorpe scored a century in the first Test at Auckland, ending his wait for a third Test century.

December 1997: Man of the Match in Sharjah ODI Tournament

In December 1997, Graham Thorpe was named man of the match in the final of a four-team ODI tournament in Sharjah after scoring an unbeaten 66 to guide England to victory over the West Indies.

1997: ODI Series Win Against Australia

In 1997, England won all three ODIs against Australia ahead of the Ashes, with Graham Thorpe unbeaten in the first and third match run chases.

1997: Double Century for Surrey and Benson & Hedges Cup Victory

In 1997, Graham Thorpe scored a double-century for Surrey against Glamorgan and featured in Surrey's Benson & Hedges Cup victory over Kent.

1998: Ashes Series inclusion and warm-up performance

In 1998, Thorpe was selected for England's 17-man squad for the 1998–99 Ashes series. He had a strong start, scoring a career-best 223 not out in a warm-up match against South Australia, forming an unbroken partnership of 377 with Ramprakash. This broke the record for the highest stand by an overseas team in Australia.

1998: West Indies tour Test abandoned due to dangerous pitch

In early 1998, the first Test of England's tour of the West Indies was abandoned after just an hour of play due to a dangerous pitch. During his brief 10-ball innings, Thorpe was hit twice, leading to the match being called off. The West Indies won two of the subsequent three Tests, with Thorpe scoring only 111 runs in those matches.

1999: Appearance at the 1999 World Cup

In 1999, Graham Thorpe made an appearance at the World Cup.

1999: 1999 World Cup Performance

In 1999, Thorpe participated in the World Cup held in England. He demonstrated his fitness by scoring two ODI fifties in the Sharjah triangular tournament leading up to the event. At the World Cup, Thorpe top-scored in England's win against Zimbabwe. However, England failed to advance from the group stage after a defeat to South Africa and other unfavorable results. In the crucial match against India, Thorpe scored 36 before a controversial lbw decision led to England's 63-run loss.

2000: Reputation as best player of spin

After successful tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000-01, Thorpe earned a reputation as the team's best player of spin. During the Pakistan tour, he adapted his batting method.

2000: Subcontinent Series Win Against Pakistan and Sri Lanka

In 2000, Graham Thorpe returned to play some of his best cricket as England won a subcontinent series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

2000: ECB central contract omission and England recall

In 2000, Thorpe was not initially awarded a central contract by the ECB and struggled for form with Surrey. However, after a century against Somerset in mid-June, he was recalled to England's ODI squad and later to the Test squad for the third match of the West Indies series. His return to Test cricket began poorly as he was dismissed lbw on his first ball. He then contributed scores of 46 and 40 in the following two Tests, which England won.

2000: Success in Pakistan tour

In late 2000, the tour of Pakistan began with England successfully chasing over 300 in an ODI for the first time. Thorpe scored an unbeaten 64, partnering with Andrew Flintoff. In the first Test at Lahore, Thorpe scored 118, with a record low number of boundaries for a Test century. He added 166 with Craig White, breaking a sixth-wicket record for England-Pakistan contests. In the third Test at Karachi, Thorpe's unbeaten 64 secured victory for England, completing the run chase in near darkness. He finished the series with 284 runs at 56.80.

2001: Tour of India and personal reasons

In 2001, Thorpe was selected for England's tour of India and played in the first Test at Mohali, scoring 23 and 62.

January 2002: Return to India for ODI leg after absence

In January 2002, after flying home from India before the second Test for 'personal reasons' during the 2001-02 tour, Thorpe returned to India to participate in the ODI leg of the tour.

2002: ODI Retirement

At the time of his ODI retirement in 2002, Thorpe had scored 2,380 runs placing him eighth on the list of leading run-scorers for England in the format. He holds the highest run tally of any England player without an ODI century.

2002: Return to Surrey and Ashes decision reversal

In 2002, Thorpe returned to cricket for Surrey, scoring a century. He was initially named in England's squad for the 2002–03 Ashes but later withdrew from the tour.

2002: Test century and 5,000 Test runs milestone

In 2002, during the second Test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston, Thorpe scored his 11th Test century with support from Matthew Hoggard. The partnership added 91 runs for the tenth wicket, setting a record for England-Sri Lanka matches. During the innings, Thorpe also surpassed 5,000 Test runs, becoming the 14th Englishman to reach this milestone.

2002: Third Fastest Double Century and Retirement from ODIs

In early 2002, Graham Thorpe scored the then third fastest double century in Test history against New Zealand. He retired from ODIs and took a break from cricket.

2002: Break from cricket

In the summer of 2002, Thorpe took a break from cricket due to divorce proceedings and a custody battle.

2003: Double win with Surrey

In 2003, Thorpe played for Surrey, contributing to their double win of the National League and Twenty20 Cup. He averaged 47.25 in the National League and participated in five Twenty20 Cup matches, including the final.

2004: Surrey Organises Charity Match

Following the 2004 tsunami, Surrey organised a charity match which raised funds of £1.5 million to help re-build the village and create the Surrey Village Cricket Ground in Maggona, Sri Lanka, where 'Graham Thorpe Road' is located.

2004: Member of England Side Winning Eight Successive Tests

In 2004, Graham Thorpe was a member of the England side that won a national record eight successive Tests.

2004: Third tour of the West Indies

In 2004, Thorpe toured the West Indies for a four-Test series. He top-scored with 90 in the second Test and scored an unbeaten 119 in the next Test, earning him the man of the match award. He ended the series with 274 runs at an average of 91.33.

September 2005: Release of Autobiography

In September 2005, Thorpe released his autobiography, "Rising from the Ashes", and began writing a monthly column for SPIN World Cricket Monthly.

Graham Thorpe: Rising from the Ashes

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2005: Retirement from Playing

In 2005, Graham Thorpe retired from playing cricket after non-selection for the Ashes and took up coaching positions.

2005: Joins BBC Radio 5 Live commentary team

In 2005, Thorpe joined BBC Radio 5 Live's commentary team for the final Test of the Ashes series.

2005: Coaching role with New South Wales

In 2005, ahead of playing in the Bangladesh series, Thorpe announced he would coach for New South Wales the following winter and play Sydney Grade Cricket.

2006: Partnership record surpassed

In 2006, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood surpassed Thorpe's partnership record with Nasser Hussain.

2007: Debut as summariser for BBC Radio's Test Match Special

In 2007, Thorpe debuted as a summariser for BBC Radio's Test Match Special during India's tour of England, and also appeared on Sky Sports' highlights coverage.

2007: Named assistant coach for New South Wales

In 2007, after two seasons as a batting consultant for New South Wales, Thorpe was named assistant coach.

January 2008: Resignation from New South Wales coaching position

In January 2008, Thorpe resigned from his position as assistant coach for New South Wales due to business and family reasons.

2013: Batting coach for England white ball teams

In 2013, as part of an ECB reshuffle, Thorpe became the batting coach for the senior England white ball teams.

2016: Sixth wicket partnership record surpassed

In 2016, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow bettered Thorpe and Andrew Flintoff's sixth wicket partnership record.

2019: Named assistant coach

In 2019, following the appointment of Chris Silverwood as England head coach, Thorpe was named as one of his three assistants.

2020: Interim head coach for England's Twenty20 series

During the COVID-19 affected summer of 2020, Thorpe served as the interim head coach for England's Twenty20 series with Pakistan.

2021: Involvement in Ashes series incident and dismissal

In 2021, Thorpe stood in as head coach during the fourth Test of the Ashes series. Following the series, he was involved in a drinking session that led to police intervention, and he was subsequently dismissed by the ECB after the 4–0 Ashes defeat.