Widow says support could have saved Graham Thorpe

After leaving his coaching position, Graham Thorpe’s widow claims that he would still be alive if the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had given him more support.

After suffering from anxiety and depression, Mr. Thorpe, one of the most well-known batters of his generation and former England assistant coach, committed suicide in August of that year.

After he left in February 2022, the ECB claimed to have funded his medical expenses, including hospital stays, and extended his health insurance, but his widow, Amanda Thorpe, claimed his mental health had deteriorated in the months that followed.

Following the Ashes defeat in Australia, an inquest at Surrey Coroner’s Court in Woking in July found that Mr. Thorpe had “spiralled into depression.”

According to the inquest, he had also attempted to commit suicide.

Coroner Jonathan Stevens recorded a suicide verdict and described “failings” in the care provided by medical professionals in the months leading up to his death.

She claimed that if the “entire rug of his cricketing career had not been pulled from under him so completely,” “it would have made all the difference.”

No one has a crystal ball, she said, but it was just too much, the cliff and the mental breakdown of “I am no longer in that family.”

It would have made a significant difference if he had had had access to a small portion of the support framework to lean on a little bit more to just transition.

Mrs. Thorpe criticized the “worry” and inadequate support provided by the remote support system.

It was obvious that he wasn’t coping as he went through these sessions. She continued, “He was getting worse.”

We actually requested assistance. I was aware that he needed more assistance, but it wasn’t forthcoming.

Graham was regarded as one of England’s greatest cricketers as well as a deeply admired and dearly loved person, according to an ECB spokesperson.

His family, his children, and all those who loved him have all experienced his loss, which has been felt deeply throughout the cricketing industry and far beyond.

The difficulties that many people have with mental health are heightened by Graham’s passing. A coroner looked into his death. The ECB gave full support to the inquest that took place earlier this year.

We have spoken with Amanda and the rest of her family regularly and we have met with her to talk about her concerns.