'He Had A Huge Influence On My Career': Joe Root Pays Emotional Tribute To Late Graham Thorpe

Former England captain Joe Root paid his emotional tribute to former England coach Graham Thorpe, who passed away recently. Thorpe died at the age of 55 while dealing with serious mental health issues and depression on August 5.

Graham Thorpe's death sent shockwaves to the England Cricket fraternity, with many former and current cricketers expressing their shock and sorrow while playing heartfelt tributes to the former cricketer and coach. According to his Thorpe's wife, he committed suicide after a prolonged struggle with mental health and anxiety.

Graham Thorpe's mental health issues worsened over the last two years. Weeks after the demise of Thorpe, Joe Root credited the former England coach for having an influence on his career.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Root about the efforts put in Gramham Thorpe in order to become an improved and successful cricketer. He added that the late England cricketer's backing helped him in refining his skills and eventually shaped him to become a successful cricketer today.

"A lot of my interactions with Graham and where his biggest influences came were as a coach when he started the second phase of his career. It was quite surreal first getting to meet someone of his stature and talking about the game. I worked very closely with him for the next 12 years or so." Former England skipper said.

"He had a huge influence on my career and arguably without his backing and pushing my case, I may not have had the career I've had." he added.

Graham Thorpe was part of the England team's coaching staff that played a crucial role behind the scenes in helping them clinch their ODI World Cup triumph in 2019, defeating New Zealand in the Final at Lord's. Thorpe also served as the interim head coach for England for the T20I series against Pakistan in 2020.

After retirement from cricket, Thorpe was involved in coaching duties with New South Wales Cricket, Surrey and England Lions. Graham Thorpe was appointed as the head coach of Afghanistan but he was fell ill before beginning his coaching duties.