Graham Thorpe seriously ill, currently receiving treatment

LONDON: Former England batter Graham Thorpe has fallen seriously ill and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital. A statement from the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) said, "Graham Thorpe has recently fallen seriously ill and is currently in hospital receiving treatment.

His prognosis is unclear at this stage and we ask for privacy for him and his family at this time. Our thoughts are with Graham and his family." The former batter, currently 52, represented England in 100 tests between 1993-2005, scoring 6,744 runs with an average of 44.66 and 16 tons.

Thorpe was recently announced as the new head coach of Afghanistan after involvement in the England coaching set-up for a decade, which came to an end after 4-0 loss to Australia in The Ashes.

His county side Surrey, which he represented during his 17-year-long career in first-class cricket also tweeted, "The thoughts of everyone at the Club are with Graham, his wife Amanda, and family at this time. He is an icon of the English game, known by millions of cricket fans and forever a favorite son of Surrey CCC."

The batter was a vital part of the English test team from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. After retirement, Thorpe had a brief stint in media, after which he took to coaching.

A stint in New South Wales in Sheffield Shield in 2007 followed, after which he joined England's team coaching set-up. He initially joined the side as a batting coach and later worked as an assistant coach to Chris Silverwood.

His stint with England ended after he, along with Silverwood and former Director of cricket Ashley Giles was sacked after a 4-0 loss to Australia in the Ashes 2021-22.