England cricket legend Graham Thorpe, 55, died from multiple injuries after being hit by a train near to his home in Surrey, inquest told

Cricket legend Graham Thorpe died from multiple injuries after being hit by a train at his local station, an inquest heard today.

The 55-year-old died on Sunday, August 4, in Surrey and was later identified from his fingerprints.

Surrey coroner Simon Wickens said an autopsy showed Thorpe had died from multiple injuries.

“This was an unnatural cause of death with predominantly traumatic injuries when Mr Thorpe was hit by a train,” Mr Wickens said.

No relatives of Mr Thorpe were present at the five-minute hearing at Woking Coroner’s Court.

Opening the inquest, the coroner said Mr Thorpe was a married man and a professional cricketer and coach. He gave his date of birth as 1 August 1969 and said he lived in Esher with his wife Amanda, a teacher.

The time of death was on August 4 at approximately 8:30 am.

Thorpe with his wife Amanda, their two daughters Kitty, now 22, and Emma, ​​now 19, and his parents at the Wrecclesham Village Fete in Surrey in 2016

Graham Thorpe’s family have been praised for speaking out about mental health following his death

British Transport Police carried out a fingerprint comparison using a sample taken at his home address, which allowed the body to be identified.

The autopsy was performed on August 9 at St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey.

The corner reported that Mr Thorpe’s body has been released to his family and that a full investigation will take place at a later date once sufficient evidence has been gathered.

He concluded the hearing by expressing his condolences to his family and everyone affected by his cricket career.

Mr Thorpe’s wife Amanda said in an interview that her husband had suffered from depression and anxiety in recent years.

He had previously attempted suicide in 2022 and was in hospital recovering from his injuries.

“Despite having a wife and two daughters who he loved and who loved him, he didn’t get better,” she said.

“He had been so ill recently that he was truly convinced that we would be better off without him. We are devastated that he responded to this and took his own life.

The former England batsman took his own life on August 4 after battling depression

Surrey Coroner Simon Wickens said a post mortem showed Thorpe died from multiple injuries. Pictured: Graham in 2021

The left-handed Surrey batsman was a talisman for England and a hero to many who grew up watching cricket in the 1990s (pictured here in March 2002 after hitting a double century in a Test match against New Zealand)

‘Graham had suffered from severe depression and anxiety in recent years, leading to him making a serious attempt to take his own life in May 2022, resulting in a lengthy stay in intensive care.

‘Despite glimpses of hope and of the old Graham, he continued to suffer from depression and anxiety, which at times became very severe. We supported him as a family and he tried many treatments, but sadly none seemed to really work.’

Thorpe will be remembered as one of the finest batsmen of his generation. He hit 2,380 runs in 82 One-Day Internationals, and 6,744 runs in 100 Tests at an average of 44.66, with 16 centuries.

After retiring in 2005 he returned to coaching, first in Australia and then back with Surrey and England.

For confidential support call Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org