ENG vs SL | Twitter reacts to heartfelt Graham Thorpe tribute ahead of first ball in Manchester

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Cricketers may come and go but legacies stay forever and few men have managed to cement themselves into English folklore like their former captain Graham Thorpe. The departed opener was afforded an echoing round of applause in Manchester by players and fans alike to kickstart the series.

The English summer continued to crescendo on Wednesday as Sri Lanka took to the field in Manchester hoping to register their first Test victory against the much-fancied hosts in a decade. The visitors must have senses an opening too given the absence of first choice opener Zak Crawley from the side but more importantly, Ollie Pope making his Test captaincy debut in lieu of the injured revolutionary Ben Stokes. However, before all the hype and narratives could culminate into real action, the day began on a solemn note as the stadium rung out a tribute to the departed legend Graham Thorpe.

With the players lined up for the anthem, a picture lf Thorpe was flashed on the big screen and everyone instinctively broke into applause. The claps only grew louder while the announcer reminded all of the legacy that the former captain had left behind and soon reached a deafening pitch to complete an emotional tribute.

Thorpe had taken his life at the start of August after a prolonged mental health battle as was confirmed by his family soon after the unfortunate event. The tribute thus served not only as an expression of gratitude to the cricketing great but also a reminder of the growing mental health epidemic, as was accurately pointed out by the Twitterverse.

Remembrance of Graham Thorpe

Toucging tribute

For him

In peace

For the player

Words of Ben Stokes

So sad

A tribute

Sad loss

Lovely tribute

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