ENG vs SL | Twitter reacts to heartfelt Graham Thorpe tribute ahead of first ball in Manchester
Cricketers may come and go but legacies stay forever and few men have managed to cement themselves into English folklore like their former captain Graham Thorpe. The departed opener was afforded an echoing round of applause in Manchester by players and fans alike to kickstart the series.
The English summer continued to crescendo on Wednesday as Sri Lanka took to the field in Manchester hoping to register their first Test victory against the much-fancied hosts in a decade. The visitors must have senses an opening too given the absence of first choice opener Zak Crawley from the side but more importantly, Ollie Pope making his Test captaincy debut in lieu of the injured revolutionary Ben Stokes. However, before all the hype and narratives could culminate into real action, the day began on a solemn note as the stadium rung out a tribute to the departed legend Graham Thorpe.
With the players lined up for the anthem, a picture lf Thorpe was flashed on the big screen and everyone instinctively broke into applause. The claps only grew louder while the announcer reminded all of the legacy that the former captain had left behind and soon reached a deafening pitch to complete an emotional tribute.
Thorpe had taken his life at the start of August after a prolonged mental health battle as was confirmed by his family soon after the unfortunate event. The tribute thus served not only as an expression of gratitude to the cricketing great but also a reminder of the growing mental health epidemic, as was accurately pointed out by the Twitterverse.
Remembrance of Graham Thorpe
A touching moment as both players and the crowd observe a moment of applause in remembrance of Graham Thorpe 👏❤
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket)
Toucging tribute
"He was just a really good guy and a great, great player"
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket)
Nasser Hussain pays a touching tribute and remembers his friend, Graham Thorpe ❤️
For him
A touching tribute to Graham Thorpe ❤️
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket)
In peace
Rest in peace, Graham ❤️
— England's Barmy Army 🏴🎺 (@TheBarmyArmy)
For the player
For, Thorpey ❤️
— England Cricket (@englandcricket)
Words of Ben Stokes
"I just thoroughly enjoyed every single moment I spent around with him"
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket)
Ben Stokes remembers Graham Thorpe ❤
So sad
Graham Thorpe, England cricketer, with beautiful daughters, loving wife, family and friends.
— Stan Collymore (@StanCollymore)
Took his own life.
Too many men in particular, at a time when information is plentiful, charities on standby, text, phone and email services ready, are deciding to end their lives.…
A tribute
Pitch perfect. A moving and worthy tribute to Graham Thorpe.
— Mark Bussell (@TheLastBus)
England’s Allan Border. The batting glue in a brittle team who was the bridge to a more successful era.
Sad loss
What happened to your campaign around male suicide, the sad loss of graham Thorpe has shown once again what a huge problem there is, it hasn’t gone away, I’d have expected you to revisit the subject
— jo bloggs🌺 (@gonzoidfilth)
Lovely tribute
Lovely tributes to Graham Thorpe this morning but the whole situation is so sad. Goes to show that there’s little to any MH care out there regardless of who you are 💔
— Luke Cotterill (@luke4OW)
Get updates! Follow us on
0
0
0
0
0
0
Comments
Sign up or log in to your account to leave comments and reactions
0 Comments