Graham Thrope: Career, Profile, Stats, and Death

From his early days in Surrey to his radiant international career, Graham Thorpe’s journey through cricket is filled with achievements and milestones. His contributions to the sport, both on and off the field, have left an indelible mark on the cricketing world. Graham Thrope is Known for his impeccable technique and flexibility on the field. Thorpe was also a promising footballer: he represented England Schools at under-18 level as a midfielder and had a trial at Brentford. But did not complete his A-Levels and was unsure what he would do for a career until offered a two-year contract by Surrey.

His career is a testament to the prowess and dedication required to excel at the highest levels of the game. The 18-year-old left-handed middle-order batsman, made his first-class debut for Surrey in 1988, against Leicestershire Batting at number eight he made scores of 15 and 16 and claimed two wickets, his first wicket being that of David Gower lbw. Thrope then became a regular in their side in the following season. Thorpe had his most productive season of his career in 1992, gathering 1,895 runs at an average of 51.21.

A stalwart of the side for over a decade, the most complete England batsman since the Gooch-Gower era, Graham Thorpe began his Test career in 1993 with an Ashes century - the first England player in 20 years to score a hundred on debut - and repeated the accomplishment on the return tour, in Perth in February 1995.

Usually operating as either number four or five batsman, the left-hander’s last century came against South Africa in Durban, in 2004. Graham Thrope played some of his best cricket as England won a subcontinent series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000–01 and he earned a reputation as the team's best player of spin.  

According to Alec Stewart, Thorpe adapted his batting method during the Pakistan tour from being a stroke-maker to being a 'nudger and nurdler'. Mike Atherton rated Thorpe's Colombo century in testing conditions as "one of the finest I ever saw from an England player" despite a lack of fluent strokeplay. He described his technique as akin to French cricket where he played the ball late, with a low backlift and was able to use his wrists to place his shots past the fielders. Writing in 2011, David Gower ranked Thorpe as the second best English batsman from those he had either played with or commentated on. He picked out his versality and ability to play Muralitharan.

Thorpe was a batsman capable of adapting to attack or defense depending on the match situation. He was considered a counter-attacking batsman in the early stages of his international career before evolving into a more 'pragmatic player of percentages'. In the later years, Thorpe was not considered a powerful batsman but instead relied on crisp stroke-play and skillful placement of shots.

In early 2002, Thorpe scored the third fastest double century in Test history as he made his highest Test score of 200 not out against New Zealand. The innings came at a time when his marriage was breaking down, and this led him to first retire from ODIs before taking a break from cricket entirely. He returned for England after over a year out, scoring a century at his home ground, The Oval. He was a member of the England side that won a national record eight successive Tests in 2004, and the following year made his 100th Test appearance. Thorpe retired from playing in 2005 after non-selection for the Ashes and took up coaching positions with New South Wales, Surrey, and England.

More than one of England’s finest-ever batters, he was a beloved member of the cricket family and respected by fans all over the world. His skill was unquestioned, and his abilities and achievements across a 13-year international career brought happiness to his teammates and England and Surrey supporters alike. Later, as a coach, he guided the best England Men's talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game.

Thorpe’s early years were spent polishing his skills on local grounds, and his potential was evident to all who saw him play. His left-handed batting style was unique and set him apart from his peers, marking the beginning of what would be a remarkable career.

Thorpe was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1998, recognizing his exceptional contributions to the sport. Thorpe played several crucial innings in the Ashes series, often standing tall against a formidable Australian bowling attack. He was involved in numerous record-breaking partnerships, showcasing his ability to build and sustain innings in collaboration with other batsmen.

Graham Thorpe's career was not without its challenges. He faced personal struggles, including mental health issues and injuries, which at times affected his performance. Despite these setbacks, Thorpe made several remarkable comebacks, displaying resilience and determination. His ability to return to form after periods of absence was a testament to his mental toughness and passion for the game.

Graham Thorpe's cricket career is distinguished by impressive statistics across various formats. In Test cricket, he played 100 matches, scoring 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66, including 16 centuries and 39 half-centuries and 108 catches. In the ODI format, Thorpe participated in 82 matches, amassing 2,380 runs with an average of 37.18, highlighted by 21 half-centuries and 37 catches.His performance in List A cricket was noteworthy as well, with 354 matches played, 10,871 runs scored, an average of 39.67, including 9 centuries, 80 half-centuries, and 168 catches.Thorpe's First-Class cricket career further showcased his talent, featuring in 354 matches where he scored 21,937 runs at an average of 45.04, including 49 centuries, 122 half-centuries and 290 catches. In 5 T20s he scored 95 runs @ 23.75 with the best of 50, including 2 sixes.

These statistics highlight Thorpe's consistent and prolific contribution to cricket across all formats. His condition remains private, his diagnosis 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."

David Johnson Passed Away Aged 52

Former India pacer David Johnson passed away on Thursday in Bengaluru at the age of 52. He played in two Test matches in 1996, taking three wickets.

David Johnson, a name that might not ring a bell for many contemporary cricket fans, is known for his brief but impactful stint in the mid-90s. Despite his promising start and the ability to bowl at over 95 mph, he struggled with consistency and fitness, which limited his opportunities at the international level.

David Johnson was born on October 16, 1971, in Karnataka. From a young age, he showed a keen interest in sports, especially cricket. Growing up in a cricket-loving nation, it wasn't long before he started playing the game seriously. His passion and dedication towards cricket were evident, even as a child, as he spent countless hours, to improving his skills on the grounds of Bangalore.

His ability to generate pace and swing made him a standout performer in domestic matches. Playing for Karnataka, he delivered several match-winning performances, which eventually caught the eyes of the national selectors.

Johnson's breakthrough came during the early 90s when his consistent performances in the domestic circuit earned him a spot in the Indian national team. His pace and ability to move the ball both ways made him a promising prospect for India, a team traditionally known for its spin bowlers.

David Johnson made his Test debut for India on October 10, 1996, against Australia in Delhi. Although his debut match didn't turn out to be extraordinary in terms of personal statistics, his potential was evident. He bowled with vigor and pace, which added a new dimension to the Indian bowling attack. He then even accompanied the team to the tour of South Africa and played the first Test at Durban. That happened to be his last international outing.

Johnson was primarily a fast bowler who relied on pace and seam movement. His natural out-swingers troubled many batsmen, and his aggressive bowling style was a refreshing change for Indian cricket at that time. During the late 1990s, when Karnataka dominated the domestic circuit, Johnson was part of the pace battery which included Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Dodda Ganesh. Despite his promising start, Johnson's international career was plagued by injuries. These injuries hampered his performance and consistency, making it difficult for him to secure a permanent place in the national team. Moreover, the competition for spots in the team was fierce, and frequent injuries meant he often had to sit out crucial matches.

Even though his international career was short-lived, Johnson's contributions to domestic cricket and his brief stint with the national team are remembered fondly by cricket enthusiasts. He was part of a generation that helped India transition into a team capable of producing quality fast bowlers.

After retiring from professional cricket, David Johnson took up cricket coaching and mentoring young bowlers. He has been involved with various cricket academies and training programs, imparting his knowledge and experience to the next generation of cricketers. Despite not having a long international career, Johnson remains a beloved figure among fans who followed cricket in the 90s. His brief but impactful appearances left a lasting impression, and he continues to be celebrated in cricketing circles.

Johnson was one of the fastest Indian bowlers and his performance in the domestic circuit - his bowling figures of 10 for 152 against Kerala during the 1995-96 Ranji Trophy season - paved his path into the Indian side. Overall, he played 39 first-class matches, picked up 125 wickets at an average of 28.63, and had a strike rate of 47.4. Johnson also has a FC century to his name.

 

Time for a Cull

I (Nasser Hussain) have always said India play better cricket when they play with passion and fire. India can't do things on a cricket field in the old-fashioned way, the quiet, Indian, easy-going way. By and large, Indians are friendly, happy-go-lucky people so it may come naturally to them, but for me, they don't play their best cricket like that anymore. They have to play with passion and fire. It's something Sourav Ganguly gave them in his captaincy and I've seen a lot more of that ability to scrap and fight in this Twenty20 side.

When Andrew Flintoff had a go at Yuvraj Singh, he gave it back to Flintoff by hitting six sixes off the next bowler. Back in England, someone tried to wind up Zaheer Khan through the jelly beans saga and Khan ended up being a man of the series. When India visited Australia in 2001, Ganguly wasn't intimidated by Steve Waugh. Harbhajan Singh bowled them out and the Indian team fought back, down to the last man. That's what I mean by passion and fire.

It's difficult to keep that energy stoked all the time on a long tour but in a T20 tournament lasting two weeks you can do that, especially with the younger boys. It's amazing just what one or two changes can do. In the World T20, India had more than a few changes from the side that I saw playing ODIS against England, and it changed the complexion of the way they played. A team reflects the style and attitude of its captain and the Indian team is starting to reflect Mahendra Singh Dhoni a little bit, in an extravagant, outgoing manner. You saw it on the field all the time, in the celebrations every time a wicket fell, in the support a bowler got even when getting caned.

Maybe it is the nature of Twenty20 cricket that brought out this quality in the Indians, as this is a highly-charged occasion. The way Yuvraj and Dhoni were batting was a massive plus for India. Being in Durban was a lucky bonus for them Africa felt they were playing away from home, and Australia was away from home.

As I watched India strangle Australia, I thought, if they play the final on the same ground the next day, India would win without a problem.

Twenty20 is a game that is suited to India because it's a game of flair and it's a fairly simple game. When batting, you see the ball, you hit the ball. It's not a game where you need to be overly fit, you just need to be talented and you need natural, raw ability. And you can't tell me that Indian cricketers don't have a natural ability. You only have to drive around Mumbai to see young lads play and realize that they are naturally gifted young cricketers. In India and England, for some reason, they don't want to take advantage of that. I think Greg Chappell tried injecting youth into the team, trying to get in players like Suresh Raina and moving out guys like Ganguly. When India played the ODIS against England, I just kept hearing the same old names. Like, with all due respect, Ajit Agarkar; he's a decent cricketer but nothing more. So I think they needed an injection of youth and they've got that in the World T20.

While at the T20, I got into a taxicab and the South African driver said that the one team that should be very good in the next decade is India. People here were used to the Tendulkar’s and the Dravid’s, but for the first time, they saw just how well Yuvraj could bat, what Rohit Sharma could do, how R.P. Singh swung the ball. There's a lot for India to do, but it's an exciting time, it's an interesting time to be watching from the outside.

It is how India handles the gains from this event that will be revealing. The natural reaction is for people to say, get rid of all the senior players. I certainly wouldn't. You don't go from a whole bunch of old players to a whole bunch of young players. It just does not work. You look at any sport, you look at Manchester United, you look at any team. Australia, for instance. I faced a similar situation when Duncan Fletcher and I took over in 1999. We were at rock bottom, we had been knocked out of our own World Cup, we lost to New Zealand and were the world's second-worst side, and we did- n't have the talent the Indian side had. Some of the selectors were saying, get rid of the old guard, and get new players in, but I wanted a few senior players to set the tone in the dressing room. I wanted Alec Stewart, Mike Atherton, Darren Gough, and a few others on my side.

It's a gradual process and you need good, solid, senior players to guide the youngsters. You probably don't need that in a T20 tournament spanning two weeks, but say it's a three-month tour of Australia, where the lads haven't played, or the Pakistan series. When things start going the wrong way, you need the senior pros to guide the younger players.

In Test match cricket, I would retain the gems, the fab four of Dravid, Tendulkar, Ganguly, and Laxman. They are world-class Test players. We saw in the England series that you can still amble on at your pace Indian pace if you want to call it that in the field and get away with it. They dropped some catches, but they got away with that as well. They weren't very mobile on the field, but if Sachin gets his runs, along with Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman and the left-arms bowl, they will continue to be a good Test match side.

But in ODIs, I think, maybe it's time for a bit of a cull. I think India should do it one at a time. As Laxman has now gone from the ODI side, it is probably time for one more to go. The problem with Indian cricket is politics. This is what coaches find, what Chappell found, and what the selectors find. The moment you name one person, half the country is split. You only have to go back to the Ganguly episode. You try and do things for the forward movement of the team and all that it does is create a political situation that divides the country.

The one person I certainly wouldn't give up on yet is Tendulkar. I interviewed him for my newspaper and he still came across as someone desperately in love with the game. He wasn't just doing it for the money or the sponsors or because he's got nothing else to do. Talking to him was like talking to Graham Gooch or Stewart, who played cricket because they absolutely loved the game. I asked Sachin a question about what he was going to do after cricket. He sort of looked at me blankly because this is what life has been for him since he was a 10-year-old.

From what I saw of him in England, I wouldn't certainly call time on Sachin Tendulkar. The only thing with him, and it was noticeable in England, is that his body is beginning to fall apart a little bit because of one-day cricket. He admitted that the first thing that would give way wouldn't be his mind, which looked very sharp and strong, it would be his body. Dravid is one person that India should hold on to for as long as possible in some way.

I'm not sure about ODI, so I won't make any categorical statements about that. But whoever takes over, be it Dhoni or anyone else, will need Dravid around as a shoulder to lean on and also to see how Dravid goes about his business. He's a little bit like Stewart, very meticulous, very organized and a very good example. In these two weeks, the World T20 has found its place in cricket. I'm not of the argument that T20 will eventually take over everything because there's a place in sport for variety. In golf, there's your weekly tour events, the President's Cup, and the Ryder Cup.

It doesn't mean the Ryder Cup is the be-all-and-end-all of everything. You have to go back to your Masters, go back to the weekly tour. It's the same with Twenty20. It will stand like it is, a one-off tournament, played every two years, which is great. Twenty20 will be played domestically or at the start of a series to spice things up, or maybe at the end. I don't think it will kill 50-over cricket or Test cricket. There will be T20 specialists who will suddenly be knocking on the 50-over door like Rohit Sharma has.

T20 cricket will put pressure on the 50-over formats if they realize there is a younger generation that can break through. What T20 will also do is what 50-over cricket has done to Test match cricket. People like Adam Gilchrist and a few others realized they could play the same way in 50-over cricket and Test cricket. T20 will show, Yuvraj Singh and a few others, that they can, if they want to, clear the boundary at any time. It is up to them to choose the time to hit the big sixes. More than any other consequence, I somehow think India might enjoy that the most. Nasser Hussain is a former England cricket captain.

INDIA TODAY OCTOBER 8, 2007

Roger Binny 5 for 40 vs England 2nd Test Match at Leeds in 1986

In the 2nd Test at Leeds in 1986, India beat England by 279 runs and took the lead 2-0 in a three-match series. Dilip Vengarsark and Rojer Binny contributed their extraordinary performances in the victory. In the first inning, Roger Binny took 5 for 40, which helped India bowl England for a mere 102 runs. Rojer Binny took the wickets of Allan Lamb, Mike Gatting, Derek Pringle, John Embury, and Bruce French. Binny also went 2 for 8 in the second inning as well. Let's watch the Roger Binny 5 for 40 spells. 

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