Ben Stokes pays tribute to Graham Thorpe as former English batter passes away at 55

England's former batter Graham Thorpe passes away at the age of 55. The English Cricket Board (ECB) took to social media to inform everyone regarding the same. The reason for his death is unknown, but the former player has been seriously ill since 2022. He was appointed the coach of Afghanistan in 2022, but couldn't travel due to health issues. Since then, he was unwell. 

"It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away. 'There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham's death. The cricket world is in mourning today. We will always remember Graham for his extraordinary contributions to the sport," the ECB said in a statement. 

To pay tribute to the former star cricketer, England red-ball skipper Ben Stokes posted a picture wearing a jersey with Thorpe's number on it on social media. This is an emotional moment for the entire cricket fraternity as they lost one of their best players. The World will remember Thorpe for the heroics he had done during his time. 

Ben Stokes shares a touching tribute to Graham Thorpe following his passing today. His legacy will live on. pic.twitter.com/HXwbhhw0mL

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) August 5, 2024

Graham Thorpe, England's best batter

Graham Thorpe, England's key middle-order batter, has played 100 Test matches between 1993 and 2005. He has scored 6744 Test runs, including 16 hundred. He was the greatest batter of his time while playing for England. He made his first-class debut with Surrey in the summer of 1988 and became a regular player in the 1989 season.

He retired in 2005 and went on to coach in Australia. After some time, he joined the England and Wales Cricket Board as their batting coach. However, in 2022, he was appointed Afghanistan's coach but couldn't join due to illness. His career has been magnificent and will be remembered by the upcoming generations. 

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