Graham Thorpe dies aged 55

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Some great photos of him in this article in the Grauniad: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2024/aug/05/graham-thorpe-a-life-in-pictures

Includes some selections of that wonderful Bubble blade in action as well as the iconic Karachi aftermath photo and a few other iconic pics.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Can only think of Root better against spin from these shores in my lifetime. Am I wrong?

Cook is up there.

But yeah, Thorpe always looked very comfortable and composed against spin, uncharacteristically so for an English batsman. Was a huge reason they had success in Asia in that mini era in the early 2000s. That innings in near darkness against Pakistan is one I remember very fondly.

 

[GIMH]

Cook is up there.

But yeah, Thorpe always looked very comfortable and composed against spin, uncharacteristically so for an English batsman. Was a huge reason they had success in Asia in that mini era in the early 2000s. That innings in near darkness against Pakistan is one I remember very fondly.

I was watching said innings last night and then they put a Thorpe masterclass v spin on. These things prompted my post

 

[Molehill]

Cook could survive for long periods against spin on relatively flat pitches when often others scored runs too. Thorpe could score runs on pitches that no other batsman could even if they were the largely average bunch of the 90's.

Agree with @GIMH, he's right up there with Root as a player of spin.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Some great photos of him in this article in the Grauniad: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2024/aug/05/graham-thorpe-a-life-in-pictures

Includes some selections of that wonderful Bubble blade in action as well as the iconic Karachi aftermath photo and a few other iconic pics.

That "knees up Mother Brown" swivel pull of his is classic Thorpey:

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Edgbaston 97 highlights on sky sports cricket. The reason I am here folks. Nass and Thorpey

I was at 3 of the 4 days of that match, played on the Saturday. One of the best partnerships I've ever seen. You could see he was mentally drained for about half an hour before he got out he put so much into that innings.

A magnificent player, one of our best in my lifetime.

 

[Chin Music]

Cook could survive for long periods against spin on relatively flat pitches when often others scored runs too. Thorpe could score runs on pitches that no other batsman could even if they were the largely average bunch of the 90's.

Agree with @GIMH, he's right up there with Root as a player of spin.

I was in Mumbai for the 2012 game when they prepared a square turner. The focus was on Pietersen taking India apart, a young Ravi Ashwin and Pragyan Ojha, before he got banned for chucking and a frankly past it Harbhajan. However, the level of control that Cook showed was striking. For me it was Cook's outstanding feature as a player that he scored runs consistently in Asia against spin. Not the most spectacular, but one of the most reliable. Gower, was very good in Asia too from memory. That said, Thorpe's battles in the early noughties were sensational.

 

[Molehill]

Looking back at 2005 with hindsight, of course we'd all have picked Thorpe ahead of Bell, but you understand the reasons at the time why the selection was made. Given how good he was against spin, given how many wickets Warne picked up in the series, and given the fact he averaged 46 against that Aussie bowling attack, it seems astonishing he didn't play.

I'm wondering how many other batsmen averaged as high as that against Australia (and it was literally peak Warne/McGrath) during that period?

 

[Moss]

Looking back at 2005 with hindsight, of course we'd all have picked Thorpe ahead of Bell, but you understand the reasons at the time why the selection was made. Given how good he was against spin, given how many wickets Warne picked up in the series, and given the fact he averaged 46 against that Aussie bowling attack, it seems astonishing he didn't play.

I'm wondering how many other batsmen averaged as high as that against Australia (and it was literally peak Warne/McGrath) during that period?

If we’re talking England alone, can recall Ramprakash averaging 40-plus against the Aussies, that record is the one bright spot in his test career.

2005 was a real what-if in terms of Thorpe’s selection, but you have to admire the management for deciding they wanted a set of players without any Ashes baggage and sticking to their guns (The older teams would have made wholesale changes after the defeat in the first test). I think it was Rob Smyth (one of Thorpe’s biggest fans) who commented that it was fitting that England’s most Australian player got a typically ruthless Aussie send-off.

 

[ImpatientLime]

Cook could survive for long periods against spin on relatively flat pitches when often others scored runs too. Thorpe could score runs on pitches that no other batsman could even if they were the largely average bunch of the 90's.

Agree with @GIMH, he's right up there with Root as a player of spin.

i think you're massively underplaying Cooks 2012 tour to India. Scored big runs of some venomous pitches.

 

[howitzer]

Looking back at 2005 with hindsight, of course we'd all have picked Thorpe ahead of Bell, but you understand the reasons at the time why the selection was made. Given how good he was against spin, given how many wickets Warne picked up in the series, and given the fact he averaged 46 against that Aussie bowling attack, it seems astonishing he didn't play.

I'm wondering how many other batsmen averaged as high as that against Australia (and it was literally peak Warne/McGrath) during that period?

No. Didn't understand it at the time, don't understand it now, and have never understood it in the interim.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Looking back at 2005 with hindsight, of course we'd all have picked Thorpe ahead of Bell, but you understand the reasons at the time why the selection was made. Given how good he was against spin, given how many wickets Warne picked up in the series, and given the fact he averaged 46 against that Aussie bowling attack, it seems astonishing he didn't play.

I'm wondering how many other batsmen averaged as high as that against Australia (and it was literally peak Warne/McGrath) during that period?

TBF some of us whose CW tenure goes back as far as that particular series called BS at the time.

Big Dunc had set the call up as a Bell v Thorpe, but it, in reality, it was obviously a "perm 2 from 3" with KP, Thorpey and Ding Dong.

Notwithstanding that, even if one accepts it was a two way shoot-out between Bell and Thorpe, to my way of thinking Fletcher rather waited the scales in the former's favour; the happy Hararean allowed him to fill his boots against a frankly piss-poor Bangladesh team, but didn't extend the same courtesy to Thorpe. Even pulling the plug in what was the great man's 100th test after just 78 overs with him unbeaten on 66.

I mean, we already had enough, but it was the 2nd day of a 5 day test. You'd have to have a flint heart not to let him go on to his ton, but that's exactly what happened. So long, thanks for coming.

 

[zaremba]

You often see him referred to as nuggety, gritty etc and of course he was. But I always thought he was incredibly stylish: looked the absolute business at the crease, well balanced, got into good positions and had some great attacking shots - including but not limited to the Lara pull shot which BoyBrumby has highlighted.

 

[Bahnz]

Looking back at 2005 with hindsight, of course we'd all have picked Thorpe ahead of Bell, but you understand the reasons at the time why the selection was made. Given how good he was against spin, given how many wickets Warne picked up in the series, and given the fact he averaged 46 against that Aussie bowling attack, it seems astonishing he didn't play.

I'm wondering how many other batsmen averaged as high as that against Australia (and it was literally peak Warne/McGrath) during that period?

I didn't and neither did any of my mates at the time. Seemed absolutely mental that Bell was playing ahead of him.

So sad to hear the news. One of my favourite players of the early 00's.

 

[Anil]

You often see him referred to as nuggety, gritty etc and of course he was. But I always thought he was incredibly stylish: looked the absolute business at the crease, well balanced, got into good positions and had some great attacking shots - including but not limited to the Lara pull shot which BoyBrumby has highlighted.

This…he was a very stylish player, had all of that left-hander’s flair…

 

[Ali TT]

Cook could survive for long periods against spin on relatively flat pitches when often others scored runs too. Thorpe could score runs on pitches that no other batsman could even if they were the largely average bunch of the 90's.

Agree with @GIMH, he's right up there with Root as a player of spin.

I think you are hugely underplaying Cook's ability against spin. India tour aside, even when he was scoring big runs on flatter wickets, he was often hugely outscoring teammates.

Re 2005, I think Fletcher just wanted to cut all links to the past Ashes humiliations. It wasn't a statement on Thorpe's batting ability per session but the mental baggage he may/may not have had. I can't say whether that was fair or not but obviously England still won even if Bell was terrible.

 

[Molehill]

I think you are hugely underplaying Cook's ability against spin. India tour aside, even when he was scoring big runs on flatter wickets, he was often hugely outscoring teammates.

Re 2005, I think Fletcher just wanted to cut all links to the past Ashes humiliations. It wasn't a statement on Thorpe's batting ability per session but the mental baggage he may/may not have had. I can't say whether that was fair or not but obviously England still won even if Bell was terrible.

I don't mean to underplay Cook as such, but it's not like the 2012 victory in India was achieved against Warne or Murali in their prime. The best spinners in that series were on his own side (and that can't happen very often on tours of India).

We should probably include KP in the best players of spin too in a totally different way, even if he did have that strange period against left arm part timers!!

 

[honestbharani]

i think you're massively underplaying Cooks 2012 tour to India. Scored big runs of some venomous pitches.

Only Mumbai was venomous tbh. Kolkata was actually pretty seamer friendly and Nagpur was the low slow road that no one will ever get out on. Even Walsh would fancy facing 50 balls on that one.

 

[Ali TT]

I don't mean to underplay Cook as such, but it's not like the 2012 victory in India was achieved against Warne or Murali in their prime. The best spinners in that series were on his own side (and that can't happen very often on tours of India).

We should probably include KP in the best players of spin too in a totally different way, even if he did have that strange period against left arm part timers!!

KP very different approach than Cook! Cook had basically 3 scoring shots against spin - backward cut, push through the covers and back to play off the pads. What he was very good at was judging length, which is typically a blind spot for English batters who so often get caught on the crease against spin.

 

[Ali TT]

Only Mumbai was venomous tbh. Kolkata was actually pretty seamer friendly and Nagpur was the low slow road that no one will ever get out on. Even Walsh would fancy facing 50 balls on that one.

Lol that Nagpur pitch was an abomination. Dhoni's exhortations to the ground keepers to prepare minefields really backfired that series