Former England batter and coach Graham Thorpe has died at the age of 55, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced.

Thorpe was regarded as one of the finest batters of his generation and played 100 Tests for England.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away,” the ECB said.

“There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham’s death. More than one of England’s finest ever batters, he was a beloved member of the cricket family and revered by fans all over the world.

“His skill was unquestioned and his abilities and achievements across a 13-year international career brought so much happiness to his team-mates and England and Surrey CCC supporters alike.

“Later, as a coach, he guided the best England Men’s talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game.

“The cricket world is in mourning today. Our hearts go out to his wife Amanda, his children, father Geoff, and all of his family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time. We will always remember Graham for his extraordinary contributions to the sport.”

Thorpe, who played for England between 1993 and 2005, scored a century on debut against Australia at Trent Bridge and quickly became a key player in England’s Test and limited overs teams in the mid-1990s and early 2000s.

His final Test was against Bangladesh in June 2005.

He went on to work as batting coach for the senior men’s team, and was taken “seriously ill” in 2022, shortly after being named as Afghanistan’s head coach.

Michael Vaughan, who captained Thorpe towards the end of his Test career, wrote on X that Thorpe was “a great player and a brilliant team-mate” who had “gone far too young”.

Current England opener Ben Duckett also wrote on X, saying: “Heartbreaking to see Thorpey has passed away. He was one of my heroes growing up and I was fortunate to work with him.”

Former England spinner Shaun Udal, who played with Thorpe, described him on X as a “little legend”.

Steve Elworthy, chief executive of Surrey, Thorpe’s county side for 17 years, said on X: “Everyone associated with the club is devastated by the tragic news of Graham’s passing. He achieved remarkable feats for club and country and was a hero to so many cricket fans.”

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