Nasser Hussain's tribute to Graham Thorpe: Sad I couldn't be in his darkest times

Former England captain Nasser Hussain paid tribute to his ex-teammate Graham Thorpe who took his own life. Hussain recalled his special memories with Thorpe who played 100 Test matches and 85 ODIs for England. He called him as his 'best mates' said that Thorpe was always there with him whenever he faces difficulties as a player or as a captain. However, he deeply regretted not being there for his former teammate who was battling with depression and anxiety. Thorpe's wife, Amanda, said the former cricketer was suffering from anxiety and depression, and that he believed that the family would be better off without him, adding that his death came as a devastating blow to them.

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"He was one of my best mates, one of the nicest guys. Such a good guy. He was such good fun, a good company. He would never say in the team environment or in the room. He didn't had to walk into the room until. How good of a player he was. My special memories came away from team meetings, in his room and in my room. Fiddling with bat handles and comparing bats. And I look back at that now, its less about the bat and the bat handles and actually about coping with being an international cricketer. And all the pressure that goes in and getting yourself ready and getting your mind ready for the next day," Hussain told Sky Sports.

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"He was just a really good guy and a great, great player"

Nasser Hussain pays a touching tribute and remembers his friend, Graham Thorpe âä️ pic.twitter.com/jI9qrptuHX — Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) August 21, 2024

Reason behind the death

Graham Thorpe played 100 Tests and 82 ODIs and scored over 9,000 runs in his international career. The middle-order batter's career at the highest level spanned 13 years between 1993 and 2005.

The former England captain also lauded Thorpe for his batting prowess for England cricket.

Amanda revealed that Graham Thorpe tried to take his own life in 2022. The cricketer's wife said the family tried its best to help Thorpe recover, but none of their attempts bore fruit.

"He was always there for me in my darkest moments really and that was really what I was saddest about now that I was not there for him in his darkest times. When you used to doubt yourself as a player or as a captain, I used to walk into his room and he used to put everything into perspective. He was just a really good guy and a great player. I cannot tell you how much of a great player he was and not just great with an average of 44 or 45 in 100 Test matches. But we needed him," Hussain added.

"At the top of the order, you would send him there and he would arrive in the middle with that steely eye. When you look into his eyes and see that this bloke is up for a fight."

Amanda revealed that Graham Thorpe tried to take his own life in 2022. The cricketer's wife said the family tried its best to help Thorpe recover, but none of their attempts bore fruit.

Hussain seemed emotional as he reminisced about his camaraderie with Thorpe.

"This man I called him 'the little genius' because that is what he did, day in and day out, he showed a lot of fight and characters. That is why we loved him, for his fight and character, with full of fun."

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