Oval Test to feature 'Day for Thorpey' in commemoration of Graham Thorpe

Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey batter, will be remembered and celebrated with a "Day for Thorpey" during the fifth Test between England and India at the Kia Oval next month, almost a year to the day since he tragically took his own life at the age of 55.

The event will help to raise funds and awareness for the mental health charity Mind, including through the sale of specially designed headbands - co-designed with Graham's wife Amanda and daughters Kitty and Emma - in a nod to the trademark look that he sported during his 100-Test career.

The day will take place on August 1 - day two of the fifth Test - which would also have been Thorpe's 56th birthday.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Amanda said: "That day will be very powerful. We want to celebrate him and his memory. His light was so bright. He'll go on."

Kitty added: "Death and grief in general isn't talked about enough, considering it happens to everyone. It surrounds us. When you add the layer of death by suicide, that makes it even more taboo.

"I understand it's difficult to talk about - people don't want to say the wrong thing. That doesn't help tackle the stigma around it. We need to change the way we're addressing the topic. That's why we're working with Mind to do something to help that."

Thorpe finished his career as one of England's modern batting greats, making 6,744 runs at 44.66 in his 100 Tests. In 1993, he had become the first England batter for 20 years to make a century on debut, against Australia at Trent Bridge.

After retirement, he turned to coaching, including as part of England's back-room staff on the 2021-22 Ashes. However, he was released in the wake of the team's 4-0 loss, which had taken place under Covid restrictions, and though he was subsequently named as head coach of Afghanistan, he never took up the role after a first suicide attempt in May 2022.

"Working in the Covid bubbles, he found that tough," Amanda said. "He wasn't great at following rules at the best of times.

"It was all very stressful and he wasn't great on that trip. Then he came back, and, as happens, his job ended, then he got offered another job. It was hard for him, probably harder than we knew. He got a lot worse then, very quickly, actually."

The family are also supporting "Thorpey's Bat and Chat", an initiative from Mind designed to support mental health through cricket. First launched in Burton-on-Trent, the intention is to roll out such sessions across the country using funds raised from the day at The Oval

"My dad was quite a private person, so for us to share his and our experience is important to help other people who have gone through similar things," Emma Thorpe said. "To start a conversation, to reduce the shame and stigma there are around these conversations."