History of Graham Thorpe in Timeline

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.

August 1969: Graham Thorpe's Birth

On August 1, 1969, Graham Paul Thorpe was born.

August 1969: Birth of Graham Thorpe

On August 1, 1969, Graham Thorpe was born in Farnham to Geoff and Toni Thorpe as the third of three boys.

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.

1973: Last England Player scoring century on Test Debut

In 1973, Frank Hayes was the last England player before Graham Thorpe to score a century on Test debut.

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.

1990: Struggles During the 1990 Season

During the 1990 season, Graham Thorpe struggled, averaging 27 and making just three half-centuries from 18 matches, which led to him playing for the second XI.

September 1991: Awarded County Cap

On September 12, 1991, Graham Thorpe was awarded his county cap.

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: Briefly Dropped from England Team

In 1994, Graham Thorpe was briefly dropped from the England team.

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.

September 1995: Marriage to Nicola

In September 1995, Thorpe married his first wife, Nicola, after meeting her on a Surrey pre-season tour to Dubai.

1995: Struggles During the Test Series in South Africa

During the 1995-96 tour to South Africa, Graham Thorpe struggled across the Test series, though he had a better ODI series, scoring three half-centuries and becoming England's highest scorer.

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.

November 1996: Birth of first child

In November 1996, Graham Thorpe and his wife Nicola had their first child, a boy.

1996: Poor Form on Zimbabwe Tour

At the end of 1996, during the tour of Zimbabwe, Graham Thorpe was in poor form.

1996: David Lloyd's criticism

From 1996 to 1999, England coach David Lloyd criticised Thorpe's attitude, accusing him of being surly and divisive.

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.

1997: Leading Scorer in the Ashes and Wisden Cricketer of the Year

In 1997, Graham Thorpe was England's leading scorer and player of the Ashes series and was later selected as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

1998: Wisden Cricketer of the Year Selection

In 1998, Graham Thorpe was selected as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year for his performances during the 1997 English cricket season.

1998: ICC batting ranking

In 1998, Thorpe peaked at number 3 in the ICC batting rankings for Test cricket, ahead of the West Indies tour.

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.

April 1999: Birth of second child

In April 1999, Graham Thorpe and his wife Nicola had their second child, a girl.

1999: David Lloyd's criticism

From 1996 to 1999, England coach David Lloyd criticised Thorpe's attitude, accusing him of being surly and divisive.

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.

1999: ECB fine for missing official function

In 1999, Thorpe was fined £1,000 by the ECB for failing to attend an official function days before the World Cup.

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.

2001: Separation from first wife

In late 2001, Graham Thorpe separated from his first wife, Nicola. He left India for England in an attempt to save the relationship.

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: Questioned recall due to team spirit disruption

Ahead of Thorpe's recall in 2003, Fraser and Mike Selvey questioned the decision as potentially disrupting the team spirit.

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: Criticism of ECB over Zimbabwe tour

In 2004, Thorpe criticised the ECB for allowing England to tour Zimbabwe for an ODI series after they had pulled out of playing a World Cup match in the country the previous year.

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.

August 2005: Birth of Child with Amanda

In August 2005, Thorpe and his second wife Amanda had a child together. He met Amanda at a benefit function for his Surrey team-mate Ali Brown.

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

Check it on Amazon

2005: Retirement from Playing

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

2005: Appears on The Weakest Link

In 2005, Thorpe appeared on an Ashes special edition of The Weakest Link.

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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.

2006: Appointed MBE

In 2006, Thorpe was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Birthday Honours.

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: Marriage to Amanda

In 2007, Thorpe married his second wife, Amanda, who also had a daughter from her first marriage.

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.

2008: Competed on Superstars remake

In 2008, Thorpe competed on the remake of Superstars.

2011: Ranked as second best English batsman

In 2011, David Gower ranked Thorpe as the second best English batsman from those he had either played with or commentated on, highlighting his versatility and ability to play Muralitharan.

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.

2021: Room named after Thorpe

In 2021, as part of the extension of the Oval members' pavilion, a room was named after Thorpe.

March 2022: Appointment as head coach of Afghanistan

In March 2022, Thorpe was appointed as the new head coach of Afghanistan, but became seriously ill before he could begin the role.

May 2022: Suicide attempt and hospitalization

In May 2022, Thorpe was admitted to intensive care following a suicide attempt, having suffered from severe depression and anxiety. On May 10, the Professional Cricketers' Association released a statement on behalf of his family, stating that he was seriously ill.

August 2024: Death at Age 55

Graham Thorpe died in August 2024 at the age of 55 after a period of coaching positions.

August 2024: Graham Thorpe's Death

In August 2024, Graham Thorpe died at the age of 55.

November 2024: Launch of Crowe-Thorpe Trophy

In November 2024, the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy was launched in tribute to Graham Thorpe and Martin Crowe. The trophy will be played for in Test series between England and New Zealand.