OBITUARY: 'Little genius' Graham Thorpe was the outstanding England batsman of his generation

Graham Thorpe, who has died - astatine nan property of 55 - established himself during a memorable 100-Test profession spanning nan millennium arsenic nan outstanding England batsman of his generation.

If Mike Atherton excelled successful defence, and Alec Stewart was flamboyant successful attack, Thorpe - erstwhile hailed by his team-mate and adjacent friend Nasser Hussain arsenic a 'little genius' - had it all: method and ticker, positive a crisp cricketing encephalon and chameleon-like adaptability.

Whether scoring a 100 against Australia's quicks astatine nan WACA aliases defying Muttiah Muralitharan connected a Colombo turner, he was England's man for each seasons. At times, it seemed only an aggravated quality and occasionally troubled backstage life could guidelines successful his way.

A grounds of 6,744 Test runs astatine 44, pinch 16 hundreds, arsenic good arsenic 2,380 astatine 37 successful one-day internationals, confirmed his quality. But it was nan mode successful which he made them, arsenic overmuch arsenic their volume, that marked him retired arsenic an England great.

Born successful Farnham, Surrey, successful 1969, Thorpe was playing for neighbouring Wrecclesham men's squad astatine nan property of 13. At 16, his region came calling. And erstwhile it became clear that a imaginable profession arsenic a 'nip-your-ankles midfielder' was going obscurity - contempt fleeting liking from Brentford - he threw successful his batch pinch cricket.

For a while, England A tours threatened to beryllium nan champion of it. But nan selectors had spotted something. Parachuted into nan 3rd Ashes Test astatine Trent Bridge successful 1993, and pinch England 2-0 down and facing ridicule, Thorpe responded to being bounced retired cheaply by Merv Hughes successful nan first innings pinch an unbeaten 114 successful nan second. 

He was nan first England batsman to people a Test period connected debut since Frank Hayes, 20 years earlier.

Hundreds, it's true, were not easy to travel by: betwixt Nottingham and back-to-back hundreds of years successful New Zealand successful 1996-97, Thorpe managed conscionable 1 successful Tests, astatine Perth. But he was establishing a estimation arsenic a selfless counter-attacker, typified by 3 successive seventies astatine location to South Africa successful 1994.

His one-legged swivel-pull, made much elegant by his left-handedness, became 1 of nan signature shots of England's chiefly troubled decade.

Never was his versatility put to amended usage than during a brace of unexpected victories successful Pakistan and Sri Lanka successful 2000-01. In nan first Test astatine Lahore, he nudged and nurdled 118 disconnected 301 balls, hitting only 2 fours. 

In nan 3rd astatine Karachi, he took complaint of nan celebrated run-chase successful nan dark, making an unbeaten 64 to seal a 1-0 win. The show of him and Hussain moving off, limb successful arm, remained 1 of nan images of nan era.

Weeks later, connected a bad-tempered circuit of Sri Lanka, Thorpe brilliantly kept Muralitharan astatine bay, scoring 59 and 46 successful nan series-levelling triumph astatine Kandy, past 113 and 32 - some unbeaten - arsenic England won nan decider successful Colombo. Wisden said nan period 'confirmed his presence arsenic a world-class batsman, arsenic prepared to counter-attack arsenic excavation in, composed against gait aliases spin'. Without him, Atherton's squad mightiness person mislaid 3-0.

There were much highlights to come, including an unbeaten double-hundred astatine Christchurch, earlier - approaching nan property of 36 - he was dropped up of nan 2005 Ashes. Kevin Pietersen had arrived connected nan scene, and England wanted to furniture successful Ian Bell.

The last fewer years of Thorpe's profession mixed accomplishment and suffering successful almost adjacent measure. Late successful 2001, he near a circuit of India because his matrimony to Nicky was disintegrating.

A comeback astatine location to India successful 2002 ended quickly, for nan aforesaid reason. Atherton later noted that 'of each nan players I played with, he was nan 1 whose authorities of mind astir affected his play'. 

A bitter divorcement followed successful 2003, and formed nan bulk of his 2005 autobiography Rising from nan Ashes. It was not a ray read. He said openly of nan solace he sought successful drink; friends feared his England profession was over. But nan separation helped clear his mind for a last flourish.

Thorpe made 124 connected his comeback to group up a raucous series-levelling triumph against South Africa astatine The Oval, his location ground, and successful 2004 produced nan twelvemonth of his life nether nan activity of Michael Vaughan: 951 runs astatine an mean of 73, pinch 4 centuries. Soon after, he went retired location adjacent to nan top. Only 14 men made much Test runs for England.

As Stewart, his long-time England and Surrey colleague, put it, Thorpe was 'so bully he could get a 100 pinch his eyes unopen astatine region level'.

A profession successful coaching followed. He was appointed England's lead batting coach successful 2010, and worked pinch nan squad until he was among those sacked aft nan 4-0 conclusion successful Australia successful 2022.

He had agelong since remarried, to Amanda, and 2 years agone appeared group for nan adjacent shape of his life arsenic caput coach of Afghanistan erstwhile he was taken ill. Instead, nan crippled is mourning 1 of nan astir watchable batsmen of nan past 30 years.