Ben Stokes is preparing for an emotional tribute to Graham Thorpe during this week’s fifth and deciding Test against India at the Oval. Thorpe took his own life on August 4, 2024, after battling depression and anxiety for several years. Police confirmed his death following an incident on a railway line near his home. Who Is Graham Thorpe? The left-handed batsman, who spent his entire professional career in south London with Surrey, scored 6,744 Test runs at an average of 44.66 in 100 matches from 1993 to 2005. Thorpe later held various coaching positions, including a role as England’s batting coach, where he worked with current players such as Test captain Stokes and Joe Root. A Day for Thorpey will be held on Friday, August 1, in support of mental health charity Mind, on what would have been his 56th birthday. “Thorpey’s been a very influential character as a player and a coach in English cricket,” Stokes said at the Oval on Wednesday. “A few of us in that dressing room spent a lot of time with him coming through the ranks and, as we got into the main (England) team Thorpey spent a lot of years around us.” Stokes, who will miss the Oval finale due to a shoulder injury, added, “It’s going to be a special day for all English fans, a special day for his family to see how much he meant to English cricket and how much he means to the current England dressing room.” Coroner Jonathan Stevens recorded an official verdict of suicide at an inquest last week but noted “shortcomings in the care” provided to the retired cricketer in his final months. Stokes, player of the match in the draw at Old Trafford after smashing a century and taking six wickets, was ruled out of the fifth Test beginning on Thursday after scans on his right shoulder. The fifth Test at the Oval starts on Thursday, with England 2-1 up in the series. (With inputs from Agencies)