Ollie Pope, the interim captain for England before the Test series against Sri Lanka, announced that they will be wearing black bands at the Manchester Test in memory of Graham Thorpe. They did wear those black armbands on Wednesday to pay tribute to their deceased colleague.
The widow Amanda revealed that her husband’s death was a result of suicide on 4 August after suffering from major depression and anxiety.
It is with great reverence and respect for Thorpe that the team chose to put on black armbands as a mark of honour with regard to his invaluable contribution to English cricket.
Among others, Ollie Pope was positively influenced by its presence as batting coach in one’s life while serving under him.
Due to this reason, he really admired Thorpe and spoke about his influential role in Pope’s career path.
“I remember one thing he said to me which was ‘never let runs define you as a person.’ And it kind of showed how much people liked him because he quite toughly loved in the dressing room. He is such a big loss to everyone – obviously first and foremost his family but then also the rest of the country and all us boys. It just won’t be quite right without him,” commented Pope.
Thorpe’s death affected the England team greatly. According to Pope, “he was a good bloke” who “was very well-loved by all teammates.”
Thorpe’s memorial service will take place before play begins on day one of the first Test versus Sri Lanka at Old Trafford Cricket Stadium on Wednesday 21 August giving players an opportunity to collectively commemorate their late teammate while acknowledging how profoundly he impacted them both personally and professionally.
Furthermore, when England takes field today those mourning bands are indicators that they appreciate every bit of effort made by this mentor besides reminding one of many lives he touched through his guidance or coaching.
