Former England batting coach Graham Thorpe 'seriously ill' and undergoing treatment
Former England batting coach Graham Thorpe has fallen 'seriously ill', as revealed by the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA). The PCA issued a statement saying that the former batter is currently in the hospital, undergoing treatment.
The PCA statement revealed that the prognosis remains unclear and requested fans to give Thorpe and his family privacy. The statement 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."
All of our thoughts are with Graham Thorpe and his family. We’re with you, Thorpey 🙏 https://t.co/PJkoRlR1X8
England Cricket and Surrey Cricket's Twitter handles have sent their thoughts to the veteran, wishing him a speedy and full recovery.
Surrey's Twitter handle posted:
"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."
Graham Thorpe was recently appointed as Afghanistan's head coach
Meanwhile, the former Surrey batter recently joined the Afghanistan men's team as their head coach. The 52-year-old's appointment came after he resigned as England's batting coach in February of 2022 following the side's poor performance in the Ashes Down Under.
Thorpe was the stand-in head coach during the fourth Test of the series in Sydney when Chris Silverwood was in isolation after contracting the COVID-19 virus.
Former English middle-order batter Graham Thorpe has been named as the new head coach of our national men’s cricket team. He will step up into the role of head coach ahead of the upcoming international events of Afghanistan.
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The former middle-order batter began his coaching career in Australia, working with icons like Steve Smith and David Warner in New South Wales before joining England's ranks as the batting coach.
The 52-year-old played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs between 1993-2005, enjoying a decorated red-ball record. He made 6744 runs at 44.66 with 16 centuries in Tests.
In his 17-year first-class career, the southpaw amassed 21937 runs in 341 games at 45.04 with 49 centuries to his name.