by sussexpob » Mon Aug 05, 2024 10:17 am
I'd be hard pressed to find a batter I liked more who played for England. A shining light in an era of low quality.... being dropped in 2005 after a period of brilliant quality output was disrespectful, but I guess Fletcher will justify it on England picking KP instead and winning the Ashes. Wonderful puller of the ball, deadly off his pads, and an excellent back foot player into the offside. Could defend dogmatically, but also cut you apart with an array of shots.
Nothing proves the last statement more true than at Colombo in 2001. Batted an age in challenging conditions in the first innings grinding out a 100, then in the second after the pitch crumbled to dust and SL were all out for 80, and England looked like they might not even reach 75, Thorpe played boldly and quickly to hit the runs before he ran out of partners.
A batting average of 45 might not be all time great stuff, but he straddled one of the toughest periods of bowling in the mid to late 90s, and courtesy of being English had to bat more than others against the very best of it, and in classic English conditions were scores were lower..... and at a time he had almost no one else to back him up. It says a lot that after the team got better in post-2000s, he averaged 55 for nearly half his career... when the team got better and he wasnt last man standing, he was as good as some of the best.
As a person, he was a hard guy to read. His personality fell on that part of the spectrum where nonchalance can be confused as not caring, introspection confused as coldness, and shyness as arrogance or unapproachability. Nothing summed that up more than him smashing a run a ball 25 against NZ in 1999 while Alex Tudor, whose miracle batting had won the match, was left on 99* with 7 wickets left. Thorpe promotly smashed boundaries around and left his team mate stranded from a historical 100....there was something in that which felt he couldnt be a worse team-mate. Tudor never said anything negative openly, but I'd have pinned him up on a dressing room wall.
Atherton once said Thorpe was one of those guys that when he was good, he was the best guy to be around, and when he was at his worst he could drag a dressing room down. Probably a good way to put it. He cut a troubled figure at times, something he himself acknowledges..... in many ways that air he had makes me unsurprised he passed early.
But in the end, he was my first cricketing love. A classy, gritty player of immense talent. I send my condolences to his family. 55 is no age....
RIP Thorpey
2010 French Open fantasy league guru 2010 Wimbledon fantasy league guru 2014 Masters golf fantasy guru 2015 Players Championship FL Guru 2016 Masters Golf Fantasy Guru
And a hat and bra to you too, my good sirs!