The Oval paid tribute to late, nice Surrey and England legend Graham Thorpe on day two of the fifth Take a look at versus India, with limited-edition headbands bought to lift cash for psychological well being charity Thoughts.
Thorpe – who made 182 appearances for England (100 Exams, 82 ODIs – took his personal life on August 4 final yr after an extended wrestle with anxiousness and melancholy.
August 1 would have marked his 56th birthday so a ‘Day for Thorpey’ was held on the south London floor he referred to as dwelling whereas taking part in for Surrey between 1988 and 2005.
Thorpe famously wore a scarf whereas batting throughout a profession during which he scored over 6,700 Take a look at runs for England and virtually 22,000 throughout all first-class cricket.
Particular headbands had been accessible for £5 at The Oval, in addition to on-line at store.thoughts.org.uk and on the Thoughts eBay retailer.
England captain Ben Stokes wears a Thorpe-inspired headband at The Kia Oval
What’s Thorpey’s Bat and Chat?
Funds raised from gross sales and donations will go to supporting the ‘Thorpey’s Bat and Chat’ initiative, which is to be rolled out throughout England and Wales.
The 12-week programme will mix cricket drills and making associates with discuss psychological well being, overseen by psychoeducation professionals.
Thorpe’s widow, Amanda, informed Sky Sports activities: “It will help people who are suffering open up.
“Folks converse via their issues and the stigma is eliminated. Folks can suppose anxiousness and melancholy is one thing to be ashamed of nevertheless it’s not. It is nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s okay to not be okay.”
Money will even go in the direction of creating materials to assist the psychological well being of cricket coaches in any respect ranges of the sport.
Thorpe had teaching roles with Surrey, England and Afghanistan after his taking part in retirement.
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On a ‘Day for Thorpey’, Atherton and Nasser Hussain remembered a ‘powerful cricketer’ and ‘excellent team-mate’
‘Cricket can take you to darkish locations’
Sky Sports activities’ Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton had been former team-mates of Thorpe’s and spoke forward of play on Friday concerning the impression he made.
“He was an outstanding team-mate, a cherished player and much-loved part of a team that was not particularly successful but one that had a connection with the cricketing public,” stated Atherton.
“If any small good can come out of what has happened it is raising money for a very important connection between cricket and mental health.
“There was an extended historical past of the sport taking you into darkish locations as there’s quite a lot of ready and considering.
“It is probably only in the last 20 years, since the publication of Marcus Trescothick’s book, that people have felt able to talk about it.
“I believe after Graham’s taking part in profession ended and we sat down with him I did begin to sense that vulnerabilities however I do not suppose any of us realised how important they had been.”
Thorpe performed 100 Take a look at matches for England between 1993 and 2005
‘Thorpe shall be in many individuals’s favorite England XI’
Hussain added: “Graham will be in quite a few people’s greatest England XI at No 4, maybe not everyone’s, but if you asked fans and team-mates who would be in your favourite XI, a lot of people would say Graham.
“Followers and team-mates will not be fools. They see individuals who when it issues, when it counts, when it is on the hardest on the market, they do not conceal and so they stroll into battle.
“That was Graham. He was probably the toughest cricketer I played with and that shows mental health is an illness, not a sign of weakness
“It was an sickness Graham, I am afraid, succumbed to. He was a prime bloke and a prime participant.”
To donate, £5, £10 or £20, textual content THORPEY5, THORPEY10 or THORPEY20 to 70255.
