Joe Root describes Graham Thorpe as "the complete batter" and a "special coach" as he reflects on his passing at age of 55; "He was very good at talking about areas of his game he struggled with and similarly other areas of life as well, about shared experiences people can relate to"
Tuesday 20 August 2024 14:19, UK
Following Graham Thorpe's death at the age of 55, England's Joe Root spoke to Sky Sports about a man he idolised as a player and cherished working under as a coach, saying he would probably not have enjoyed the career he has had without Thorpe's backing...
"He was one of the players that stood out in that time [for England in the 1990s and early 2000s].
"He was one of the guys that consistently performed when things were tough and when results weren't always going in our favour, which I think is a great quality to have.
"Even when I was young and learning about the sport, you could tell he had a good game against both spin and high pace. He could play the short ball well but also had success in Sri Lanka.
"He was the complete batter, like a rock star who could sing you a ballad and rock your socks off at the same time. I always looked up to him and took a lot of inspiration from him.
"A lot of my interactions with Graham and where his biggest influences came were as a coach when he started the second phase of his career. It was quite surreal first getting to meet someone of his stature and talking about the game.
"It was about a year or so later, before I had even scored a first-class hundred, that he was involved in the England Lions set-up and pushed really hard for me to be involved in that team.
"I worked very closely with him for the next 12 years or so. He had a huge influence on my career and arguably without his backing and pushing my case, I may not have had the career I've had.
"Clearly the work he put in during that 10-12 year period… he worked tirelessly. We had good, honest conversations about areas I needed to improve.
"Not just me but you look at guys that came through in that time: Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Jos Buttler, James Vince, Sam Billings. He played a big role in Ben Stokes' development.
"Guys that have gone on and played a lot of international cricket and done extremely well around the world, won World Cups, Ashes. We are all grateful for all that he did for us.
"There were certain fundamentals that he was big on - can you get really close to the ball and far away from it? - but he did not have one way of coaching. The way he spoke to Jonny would be different to the way he spoke to me and to Jos and to J-Roy.
"A lot of the scores I have got over the years in the subcontinent have been down to the basics I learnt from my very first tour with him.
"Some of the best lessons I learned were not necessarily in the nets but over dinner or a few glasses of wine, just talking about the game, about shared experiences people can relate to.
"He was very good at that, talking about areas of his game he struggled with and similarly other areas of life as well.
"Coming into a very different environment, growing up in Sheffield and touring all around the world, is alien as a young player. Having someone who had done it, got it right and got it wrong, to guide and support you is always very important.
"It is a special coach that can have that relationship with players and it was certainly one I managed to have with Graham.
"He could change the mood in the dressing room if things were quite tough, he had a great sense of humour, he could make difficult situations a lot easier and was always great fun to be around. That is something I am really going to miss.
"A lot will and should be talked about how brilliant a player he was for a long period of time, but [we should remember] the impact he has had on English cricket as a fantastic coach as well."
Watch Root in action for England during the first Test against Sri Lanka at Emirates Old Trafford from Wednesday. Coverage begins at 10am on Sky Sports Cricket, with the first ball at 11am.
