The Professional Cricketers’ Association said on Tuesday that former England batsman and assistant coach Graham Thorpe is “seriously ill” in hospital. Thorpe, 52, had accepted the position of Afghanistan head coach after leaving England following a 4-0 defeat in the Ashes series in Australia in December and January.
The PCA released a statement at the request of Thorpe’s family, which read: “Graham Thorpe has recently fallen seriously ill and is currently in hospital receiving treatment. His prognosis is unclear at this stage and we ask for privacy for him and his family at this time. Our thoughts are with Graham and his family.”
Thorpe’s nomination was confirmed by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) in March. Thorpe was a talented left-handed batsman who appeared in 100 Test matches for England, scoring 6,744 runs at a 44.66 average and striking 16 hundred. He also represented his country in 82 one-day internationals.
Before joining the England and Wales Cricket Board as a batting coach, the former Surrey player coached in Australia, where he worked with stars such as Steve Smith and David Warner in New South Wales.
Thorpe served as an assistant coach for the senior squad under Trevor Bayliss and Chris Silverwood before taking over as captain in the drawn Sydney Test in early January owing to Silverwood’s coronavirus diagnosis.
“All of our thoughts are with Graham Thorpe and his family. We’re with you, Thorpey,” England Cricket tweeted.
Surrey Cricket Club added: “The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with Graham, his wife Amanda, and family at this time. He is an icon of the English game, known by millions of cricket fans and forever a favorite son of Surrey CCC.”
Thorpe’s former country Surrey, where he spent his whole 17 years career also wished for his speedy recovery.
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