ENG vs IND: Graham Thorpe to be remembered during The Oval test; Day 2 to be celebrated as 'Day for Thorpey'

Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe took his own life in 2024.

Former England cricketer Graham Thorpe will be remembered during the fifth test between England Cricket Team and Indian Cricket Team. The fifth test of the series will be played from July 31 to August 4 at The Oval in London.

The second day of the match, August 1, will be celebrated as ‘Day for Thorpey’. Thorpe’s headband, captured in a mural outside The Oval, will be a theme of the ‘Day for Thorpey’. Thorpe is a former England cricketer, who took away his own life in 2024.

The event will be organised by mental health charity Mind and the initiative is taken by Thorpe’s wife and daughter. The event will also look to raise funds through the sale of specially designed headbands. August 1 will also mark Thorpe’s 56th birthday.

Graham Thorpe played 100 tests for England

Thorpe played for England from 1993 to 2005. He played 100 tests and slammed 6744 runs at an average of 44.66, including 16 centuries and 39 half-centuries. In 82 ODIs, the left-handed batsman mustered 2380 runs at an average of 37.19, with 21 fifties.

After retirement, he switched to coaching and was part of England’s back-room staff during Ashes 2021-22. He took his own life in 2024 at the age of 55 years. Speaking about the event, his wife Amanda said they want to celebrate Thorpe’s memory during the match.

“That day will be very powerful. We want to celebrate him and his memory. His light was so bright. He’ll go on,” she told BBC Breakfast.

Thorpe’s daughter Kitty further explained why they want to work with Mind.

“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,” said Kitty.

Meanwhile, England and India are preparing for fourth test of the series, which will begin on Wednesday, July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester. After first three games, the hosts lead the five-match series 2-1. The Manchester test is a must-win for India to keep their hopes of series win alive.

For England, spinner Shoaib Bashir has been ruled out of remainder of the series and Liam Dawson has been named his replacement. For the visitors, Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the last two tests due to knee injury.

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