Surrey to honour Graham Thorpe on Day 2 of Oval Test

Surrey County Cricket Club (SCCC) will honour Graham Thorpe, a former England batsman, who died by suicide last year. Day 2 of the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at The Oval will be dedicated to the remembrance and memory of Thorpe, who featured in 100 Tests and 82 ODIs.

"The life of England and Surrey cricketer Graham Thorpe will be remembered and celebrated on Friday, 1 August 2025, during the second day of the final Test Match in the series between England v India," the SCCC said in a statement. Thorpe was hit by a speeding train last August at the age of 55. The family confirmed it was a suicide.

"A Day for Thorpey will be held at the Kia Oval Cricket Ground, London, in support of mental health charity Mind, on what would have been Graham's 56th birthday," the county noted.

Thorpe played first-class cricket for Surrey. After retiring from playing, he took on various coaching roles within the sport for both Surrey and England. The spectators are being urged to sport headbands that Thorpe used during his 12-year international career from 1993 to 2005.

"A Day for Thorpey will raise money for mental health charity Mind through the sale of a limited-edition headband which resembles what Graham wore when he was batting for England. The headbands have been co-designed with Graham's wife Amanda and daughters Kitty and Emma," Surrey further said.

"That day will be very powerful. We want to celebrate him and his memory. His light was so bright. He'll go on," wife Amanda Thorpe told BBC recently. Daughter Kitty Thorpe added: "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."

Emma, the other daughter of Thorpe, said: "My dad was quite a private person, so for us to share his experience with his mental health, and our experience of it, it's important to me that we do that to help other people who have gone through similar things. And to start a conversation there and reduce the shame and the stigma that there is around these conversations."