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England captain Stokes wore a special shirt in support of Thorpe in June 2022 after the Professional Cricketers’ Association said the ex-England batter was “seriously ill”.
The shirt had Thorpe’s name and the number 564 on the back – signifying his status as the 564th player to be capped by England.
Stokes donned the shirt at the toss for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.
He posted a picture on social media of himself in the shirt on Monday, along with a series of heart emojis following the news about Thorpe’s death.
England batter and former captain Joe Root described Thorpe as a “hero, mentor and so much more”.
Vaughan, another ex-England skipper, thanked Thorpe “for all the advice throughout my career”.
Vaughan added: “You were a great player and a brilliant team-mate. You have gone far too young but you leave as an England cricket legend.”
Current England opener Ben Duckett said Thorpe’s death was “heartbreaking”.
Duckett added on X: “He was one of my heroes growing up and I was fortunate to work with him. My thoughts go out to all of his friends and family during this tough time.”
Former Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara described Thorpe as a “great man and legend” as he paid tribute to his fellow left-hander.
Thorpe was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year winner in 1997 and the sport’s ‘bible’ described him as “one of England’s greatest batters” in a post on social media.
Former England spinner Shaun Udal said: “Such tragic news about Graham Thorpe, played with and against the little legend since the age of 10, great player and human being.”
David Gower, a former England captain and dashing left-hander, remembered Thorpe for “how good he was in all conditions”.
“One of his highlights… was the 64 not out at Karachi in 2000 where England won a series for the first time in yonks against Pakistan, in Pakistan, and they had to do it in pitch black darkness,” Gower told Sky Sports.
“We up in the commentary box 80 or 90 metres away couldn’t see anything live.
“Only the genius of TV cameras allowed us to see what was going on, but that was a good example of his grit, determination and will to win.
“He was very talented and what bears that out are his figures against all-comers.”
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