A day after Graham Thorpe’s wife revealed that he “took his own life,” it has come to light that the former England batsman died after being struck by a train at the Esher railway station in Surrey.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on August 5 that Thorpe, who had played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs before being a coach for over a dozen years, had died at the age of 55.
The reason for his demise was not learned until, on August 12, his wife, Amanda, revealed that Thorpe had been battling depression and anxiety for more than two years and had taken his own life.
On August 13, the opening of an inquest into his death heard that Thorpe suffered “traumatic injuries” after being hit by a train on August 4. Coroner Simon Wickens made this news public while speaking on Tuesday at Surrey Coroner’s Court in Woking.
Wickens said he had received a referral about this incident from the British Transport Police (BTP).
A spokesperson for BTP said in a statement:
“Officers were called to Esher railway station at 8.26 am on 4 August to reports of a casualty on the tracks. Paramedics also attended, however sadly a person was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be prepared for the coroner.”
Wickens offered “sincere condolences” to Thorpe’s family and to “all those touched by his life and career”.
Graham Thorpe tried to kill himself in 2022 as well
In 100 Tests, Thorpe scored 6744 runs at an average of 44, raising 16 centuries and 39 fifties. He also scored 2380 ODI runs.
After retirement, he seamlessly got into coaching. His first major stint was with New South Wales in Australia in 2007 where he worked with some prominent Australian players, including Steve Smith.
Upon returning to England, he swiftly got into the national team’s coaching staff in 2010. He initially joined as batting coach and later became assistant coach to Chris Silverwood, a position he held until 2022.
In late 2022, he was due to take on the role of Afghanistan’s head coach. However, he got “seriously ill” in May, had to be hospitalized, and left coaching completely.
His wife Amanda spoke with The Times and made shocking revelations about Thorpe’s mental health and about his struggles in recent times that led the 55-year-old to take his own life.
Amanda said,
“For the past couple of years, Graham had been suffering from major depression and anxiety. This led him to make a serious attempt on his life in May 2022, which resulted in a prolonged stay in an intensive care unit. Despite glimpses of hope and of the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times got very severe. We supported him as a family and he tried many, many treatments but unfortunately none of them really seemed to work.”
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