Kerala School Cricket Academy

The only Indian to captain Oxford University✅
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Perhaps the most destructive slip cordon ever
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Do you recognise this batting pair🏏

🚨Picture Of The Day 🚨
English batsman David Steele is hit on the thigh by a delivery from West Indian fast bowler Andy Roberts during the first innings of the Test between England & West Indies at Trent Bridge, Nottingham in 1976. Steele scored 106 runs off 296 deliveries including 9 fours in that innings. It was the only century of his Test career 🏏

He was tagged as ‘the new Bradman’ ✅
Scored 2,779 Test runs @ 45.55 🏏
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A tall, gangling & lively pace bowler ✅
100 Int’l wickets & 553 First class wickets 🏏
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Graham Paul Thorpe, also known as ‘Stumpy’ was one of the finest & most dependable English batsmen of his generation, celebrated as the technical & emotional glue of England’s middle order. He is regarded as the most complete England batsman since Gooch-Gower era.

Thorpe made his Test debut against Australia at Trent Bridge in 1993 with an unbeaten 114 in the second innings of the Test. He went on to score 15 more hundreds for England, scoring 6,744 runs at an average of 44.66 in 100 Tests. He was a top white ball player as well, playing 82 ODIs, accumulating 2,380 runs at an average of 37.18.

Thorpe had a complete technique, combined of defensive grit & flair of attacking stroke play. A versatile player who was equally adept at handling fierce fast bowling or milking top-tier spinners. He excelled under pressure, especially in high stakes run chases & difficult sub continent conditions.

Thorpe’s Test best was a match winning effort against New Zealand in the famous Christchurch Test where Thorpe scored an unbeaten 200 off 231 balls. He scored a century in Lahore in 2000 & also scored the winning runs in fading light in Karachi that led England to their first Test series win in Pakistan in 39 years.

He was left out of the first four Tests of the English summer in 1994 despite showing promise by the Chairman of selectors Ray Illingworth. He was told by Illingworth that “he wasn’t in the best five batsmen in the country.” Later in 2005, he was dropped from the Ashes squad to make way for Kevin Pietersen & shortly after Thorpe announced his retirement from Test cricket.

He was the ninth English cricketer to play 100 Tests for the country. Thorpe worked as a batting coach post retirement 🏏

In August, 2024 Graham Thorpe took his own life three days after his 55th birthday.

What is your favourite memory of Thorpe❓