Graham Thrope Dies aged 55, Career, Profile, Stats and Death
From his early days in Surrey to his radiant international career, Graham Thorpe’s journey through cricket is filled with achievements and milestones. His contributions to the sport, both on and off the field, have left an indelible mark on the cricketing world. Graham Thrope is Known for his impeccable technique and flexibility on the field. Thorpe was also a promising footballer: he represented England Schools at under-18 level as a midfielder and had a trial at Brentford. But did not complete his A-Levels and was unsure what he would do for a career until offered a two-year contract by Surrey.
His career is a testament to the prowess and dedication required to excel at the highest levels of the game. The 18-year-old left-handed middle-order batsman, made his first-class debut for Surrey in 1988, against Leicestershire Batting at number eight he made scores of 15 and 16 and claimed two wickets, his first wicket being that of David Gower lbw. Thrope then became a regular in their side in the following season. Thorpe had his most productive season of his career in 1992, gathering 1,895 runs at an average of 51.21.
A stalwart of the side for over a decade, the most complete England batsman since the Gooch-Gower era, Graham Thorpe began his Test career in 1993 with an Ashes century - the first England player in 20 years to score a hundred on debut - and repeated the accomplishment on the return tour, in Perth in February 1995.
Usually operating as either number four or five batsman, the left-hander’s last century came against South Africa in Durban, in 2004. Graham Thrope played some of his best cricket as England won a subcontinent series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000–01 and he earned a reputation as the team's best player of spin.
According to Alec Stewart, Thorpe adapted his batting method during the Pakistan tour from being a stroke-maker to being a 'nudger and nurdler'. Mike Atherton rated Thorpe's Colombo century in testing conditions as "one of the finest I ever saw from an England player" despite a lack of fluent strokeplay. He described his technique as akin to French cricket where he played the ball late, with a low backlift and was able to use his wrists to place his shots past the fielders. Writing in 2011, David Gower ranked Thorpe as the second best English batsman from those he had either played with or commentated on. He picked out his versality and ability to play Muralitharan.
Thorpe was a batsman capable of adapting to attack or defense depending on the match situation. He was considered a counter-attacking batsman in the early stages of his international career before evolving into a more 'pragmatic player of percentages'. In the later years, Thorpe was not considered a powerful batsman but instead relied on crisp stroke-play and skillful placement of shots.
In early 2002, Thorpe scored the third fastest double century in Test history as he made his highest Test score of 200 not out against New Zealand. The innings
His career is a testament to the prowess and dedication required to excel at the highest levels of the game. The 18-year-old left-handed middle-order batsman, made his first-class debut for Surrey in 1988, against Leicestershire Batting at number eight he made scores of 15 and 16 and claimed two wickets, his first wicket being that of David Gower lbw. Thrope then became a regular in their side in the following season. Thorpe had his most productive season of his career in 1992, gathering 1,895 runs at an average of 51.21.
A stalwart of the side for over a decade, the most complete England batsman since the Gooch-Gower era, Graham Thorpe began his Test career in 1993 with an Ashes century - the first England player in 20 years to score a hundred on debut - and repeated the accomplishment on the return tour, in Perth in February 1995.
Usually operating as either number four or five batsman, the left-hander’s last century came against South Africa in Durban, in 2004. Graham Thrope played some of his best cricket as England won a subcontinent series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000–01 and he earned a reputation as the team's best player of spin.
According to Alec Stewart, Thorpe adapted his batting method during the Pakistan tour from being a stroke-maker to being a 'nudger and nurdler'. Mike Atherton rated Thorpe's Colombo century in testing conditions as "one of the finest I ever saw from an England player" despite a lack of fluent strokeplay. He described his technique as akin to French cricket where he played the ball late, with a low backlift and was able to use his wrists to place his shots past the fielders. Writing in 2011, David Gower ranked Thorpe as the second best English batsman from those he had either played with or commentated on. He picked out his versality and ability to play Muralitharan.
Thorpe was a batsman capable of adapting to attack or defense depending on the match situation. He was considered a counter-attacking batsman in the early stages of his international career before evolving into a more 'pragmatic player of percentages'. In the later years, Thorpe was not considered a powerful batsman but instead relied on crisp stroke-play and skillful placement of shots.
In early 2002, Thorpe scored the third fastest double century in Test history as he made his highest Test score of 200 not out against New Zealand. The innings
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00:00Welcome to the new video of Cricket Thrill, Graham Taub born on August 1, 1969, the third
00:07of three boys to Jeff and Tony Taub. From his early days in Surrey to his radiant international
00:13career, Graham Taub's journey through cricket is filled with achievements and milestones.
00:20His contributions to the game both on and off the field have left an indelible mark
00:25on the cricketing world. Graham Taub is known for his impeccable technique and flexibility
00:31on the field. Graham Taub was also a promising footballer. He represented England schools
00:37at under-18 level as a midfielder, but did not complete his A-levels and was unsure what
00:44he would do for a career until offered a two-year contract by Surrey. His career is a testament
00:50to the prowess and dedication required to excel at the highest level of the game. The
00:5518-year-old left-handed middle-order best man made his first-class debut for Surrey
01:01in 1988 against Leicester Shire. When he was batting at No. 8, he made scores of 15 and
01:0716 and claimed two important wickets, his first wicket being that of David Carver. Graham
01:13Taub then became a regular in this side in the following season. Taub had his most productive
01:19season of his career in 1992, gathering 1,895 runs at an average of 51.21, a stalwart of
01:28the side for over a decade, the most complete England best man since the Gooch-Carver era.
01:34Graham Taub began his test career in 1993 with an ashes century, the first England player
01:41in 20 years to score a 100 on debut, and repeated the accomplishment on the return tour in Perth
01:47in February 1995. Usually operating as either No. 4 or 5 best man, the left-hander last
01:53century came against South Africa in Durban in 2004. Graham Taub played some of his best
01:59cricket as England won a subcontinent series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka in 2000 and
02:042001, and he earned a reputation as the team's best player of the spin. According to Alex
02:11Stewart, Taub adapted his batting method during the Pakistan tour from being a strokemaker
02:17to being a nudger and a nuddler. Mike Atherton rated Taub's Colombo century as in testing
02:23condition as one of the finest I ever saw from an England player. Despite a lack of
02:28fluent stroke play, he described his technique as akin to French cricket where he played
02:34the ball late, with a lot of backlift and was able to use his wrist to place his shot
02:39past the fielder. Writing in 2011, David Garver ranked Taub as the second-best English best
02:46man from those he had either played with or commented on. He picked out his technique
02:52and ability to play Muralidharan. Graham Taub was a best man capable of adapting to attack
02:58or defend, depending on the match situation. He was considered a counter-attacking best
03:03man in the early stage of his international career.
03:08In 1996, in counter-cricket, Taub had a strong season with six centuries, including five
03:13in his nine county championship matches. He was the first English player to pass 1,000
03:18runs for the season and ended the campaign with an average of 62.76 in all first-class
03:25cricket. He also made seven appearances for Surrey as they won the Sunday League, the
03:29county's first trophy, in 14 years. England toured Zimbabwe at the end of 1996 to play
03:35their first Test series against the nation. Taub was in poor form on that tour, with Wisden
03:41describing him in the first Test as the horribly out of touch. He was able to score 15 knockouts
03:47in the second Test before final day rain cut the match short.
03:51At the end of Zimbabwe tour in 1996, England travelled on to the New Zealand. In the first
03:56Test at Auckland, Taub was struck by a bouncer from Chris Gaines and been a fault for a run-out
04:01of John Crawley, before going on to make 119, ending his wait for a third Test century.
04:08He made it consecutive hundreds at Wellington as he scored 108, sharing century partnership
04:13with Nasir Hussain and Crawley in the process.
04:16Australia toured England in 1997. Ahead of the Ashes played three ODIs. England won all
04:22the three matches with a 6-15 margin of victory on each game. Taub was unbeaten in the first
04:27and third match run-chase with the score of 75-45.
04:32Graham Taub was also selected in the squad for the 99th Cricket World Cup stage in England
04:37and proved his fitness in the build-up by scoring two ODI fifties in two days during
04:42the Charger Triangle tournament. Despite home advantage at the World Cricket Cup, England
04:47failed to progress out of the group stage, before evolving into a more pragmatic player
04:52of the percentage. In the later years, Graham Taub was not considered a powerful best man,
04:58but instead relied on crisp scoreplay and skilful placement of the shots.
05:04In early 2002, Graham Taub scored the third faster double century in Test cricket history
05:10as he made his highest Test score of 200 not out against New Zealand.
05:15The inning came at a time when his marriage was breaking down and this led him to force
05:20retire from ODIs before taking a break from cricket entirely. He returned from England
05:26after over a year out, scoring a century at his home ground, the Oval. He was the member
05:31of the England side that won a national record eight successive Tests in 2004 and the following
05:37year he made his 100 Test appearance. Graham Taub retired from playing in 2005 after
05:43non-selection for the Ashes and took up coaching position with New South Wales, Surrey and
05:49England. More than one of England's finest ever batters, he was a beloved member of the
05:54cricket family and respected by fans all over the world. His skill was unquestioned and
06:01his ability and achievement across a 13-year international career brought happiness to
06:07his teammates and England and Surrey supporters alike. Later as a coach, he guided the West
06:12England man's talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game.
06:18Graham Taub's early years were spent polishing his skills on local grounds and his potential
06:24was evident to all who saw him play. His left-handed batting style was unique and set him apart
06:31from his peers, marking the beginning of what would be a remarkable career.
06:37Graham Taub was named one of the Wisdom Cricketers of the Year in 1998, recognising his exceptional
06:44contribution to the game. Taub played several crucial innings in the Ashes series, often
06:50standing tall against a formidable Australian bowling attack. He was involved in numerous
06:56record-breaking partnerships, showcasing his ability to build and sustain innings in collaboration
07:02with other best men.
07:03Graham Taub's career was not without its challenges. He faced personal struggles, including mental
07:10health issues and injuries, which at times affected his performance. Despite these setbacks,
07:17Taub made several remarkable comebacks, displaying resilience and determination. His ability
07:23to return to form after periods of absence was a testament to his mental toughness and
07:28passion for the game.
07:30Graham Taub was involved in four test partnerships with more than 250 runs, the only England
07:37player to have done so. The largest of these was a stand-off 288 with Nassir Otan, which
07:44was the England's fourth wicket, recorded against Australia until surpassed by Kevin
07:49Peterson and Paul Collingwood in 2006. His sixth wicket partnership of 281 with Andrews
07:57Philanthrope was an England test record for that wicket, until they were battered by Ben
08:02Scroggs and Jonny Bairstow in 2016.
08:04In the ICC batting ranking, Taub peaked at No. 3 for test cricket ahead of the West Indies
08:10Cougar in 1998. His peak in the ODI ranking was No. 10.
08:15During his career, Graham Taub made 16 centuries in international cricket, all of which were
08:20scored in tests. He scored multiple centuries against the six teams he played most often
08:26in tests, but did not reach three-figure against India, Bangladesh or Zimbabwe. The Kingston
08:32Oval was the only overseas ground at which he made two test centuries, and despite playing
08:37more tests at Lord's than any other ground, he never got on their boards with the best
08:43score of 89 from 13 matches.
08:45Graham Taub also worked with BBC Radio 5 live community team for the final test of the 2005
08:52Ashes series.
08:53In September 2005, Graham Taub released an autobiography entitled Rising from the Ashes.
09:00He wrote a monthly column for the YouTube-based cricket magazine Spin World Cricket Monthly.
09:05Graham Taub also appointed as a member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2006
09:12As part of the extension of the Oval Members' Pavilion in 2021, a room was named after Taub.
09:19Moreover, there is a street in Magana, Sri Lanka entitled Graham Taub Road.
09:25Following the 2004 tsunami, Surrey organised a charity match which raised funds of £1.5
09:31million to help to rebuild the village and create the Surrey Village Cricket Ground.
09:37Graham Taub's cricket career is distinguished by impressive statistics across various formats.
09:43In Test cricket, he played 100 test matches, scoring 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66,
09:52including 6 centuries and 39 half-centuries and 108 catches.
09:57In the ODI format, Graham Taub participated in 82 matches, gathering 2,380 runs with an
10:05average of 37.18, highlighted by 21 half-centuries and 37 catches.
10:11His performance in liste cricket was noteworthy as well.
10:15With 354 matches, he played, gathering 10,871 runs at an average of 39.67, including 9 centuries,
10:2580 half-centuries and 168 catches.
10:28Graham Taub's first-class cricket career further showcased his talent, featuring in
10:33354 matches, where he scored 21,937 runs at an average of 45.04, including 49 hundreds,
10:43122 half-centuries and 290 catches.
10:47In five T20s, he scored 95 runs at an average of 23.75, with the best of 50, including two sixes.
10:55These statistics highlight Taub's consistent and prolific contribution to cricket across
11:00all the formats.
11:02Graham Taub married his wife, Nicola, in September 1995, having first met her on a Surrey pre-season
11:08tour to Dubai.
11:10The couple had two children, a boy born in November 1996 and a girl born in April 1999.
11:16The couple separated in late 2001, with Graham leaving England for India in a failed attempt
11:22to save their relationship.
11:23The resulting divorce, proceeding and custody battle led to him taking a break from cricket
11:28in the summer of 2002.
11:30Graham Taub met his second wife, Amanda, at the benefit function for the Surrey team-mate
11:35Ali Brown.
11:36The couple had children together in August 2005 before getting married in 2007.
11:41Amanda has a daughter from her first marriage.
11:44On 10 May 2022, the Professional Cricket Association released a statement on behalf of Taub's
11:51family that he was seriously ill with an unclear prognosis.
11:55Taub died on 5 August 2024 at the age of 55.
11:59It is with great sadness that Taub shared the news that Graham Taub has passed away.
12:05The ECB said in a statement,
12:07There seems to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham's
12:12death.