In honor of the late English batter Graham Thorpe, the England players were spotted wearing special headbands on Day 2 of the fifth test match in the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy 2025 at The Oval.

English pacer Josh Tongue resumed the innings for his team on the second day. Rather than the hosts’ bowling performance, the headbands worn by the English players, including the stand-in captain Ollie Pope, grabbed the attention of many fans.

Let’s find out what these headbands are and why they were worn specifically on 01st August 2025.

What are the Special Headbands worn by the England Cricketers?

The special headbands were designed in collaboration with Graham Thorpe’s family members to salute ‘A Day for Thorpe’. The design is reminiscent of what Thorpe used to wear during his cricketing days.

Why England Cricketers Wore the Special Headbands on Day 2 of the Oval Test in 2025?

The special headbands were worn by England cricketers on the second day of the Oval Test to pay respect to the life and legacy of the former English batter Graham Paul Thorpe, who passed away by suicide the previous year. 

The southpaw was born on 01st August 1969, and to pay tribute to his birth anniversary, the England players were wearing the iconic white bands on Day 02, which Thorpe sported during his playing days.

Graham’s family played a major role in designing the bands, which were sold in ‘A Day for Thorpey’ as an initiative to raise money to support the mental health charity Mind.

Also, the Mind’s ‘Bat and Chat sessions’ were intended to be renamed as ‘Thorpey’s Bat and Chat’, as they were planning to host the events across the whole nation.

Thorpe suicided on 04th August 2024 at the age of 55. His wife, Amanda, revealed that he struggled with serious depression and anxiety for several years.

Graham was one of the top English batters in the late 1990s and early 2000s since his international debut in 1993. 

Thorpe’s Role in Shaping the Careers of England’s Modern-Day Legends

Interestingly, Graham Thorpe played a pivotal role in supporting England’s current star cricketers like Ben Stokes and Joe Root to enhance their cricket skills. He was one among those members of the coaching staff with both the England Lions (junior cricket team) and the senior England men’s team.

Thorpe’s Birth Anniversary: England’s Shift in Momentum on Day 02

Symbolically, a tribute to Graham Thorpe on his birth anniversary marked a crucial moment for England’s bowlers’ domination against India on Day 2 of the Oval Test on Friday (01st August).

India resumed their play on 204/6, but their innings got wrapped up on 224 in 69.4 overs. Even Karun Nair’s 57-run knock couldn’t save his team against England pacers Gus Atkinson (5/33 in 21.4 overs) and Josh Tongue (3/57 in 16 overs).

Additionally, England’s opening batters delivered a stronger performance with the opening batters Ben Duckett (43 runs from 38 balls— including 5 fours and 2 sixes) and Zak Crawley (64 runs from 57 balls— including 14 fours) providing a flyer start to their team. The duo batters maintained a 92-run opening partnership to gain early control.

England trailed by 114 runs after lunch after compiling a total of 109 for the loss of a wicket.

However, post the lunch session, the hosts’ innings too concluded, scoring 247 in 51.2 overs despite the tough fight given by the Indian pacers Prasidh Krishna (4/16 in 62 overs), Mohammed Siraj (4/86 in 16.2 overs), and Akash Deep (1/80 in 17 overs).

The Ollie Pope-led side ensured to take a lead by just 23 runs following Harry Brook’s dismissal, who scored 53 runs from 64 balls (including 5 fours and 1 six).

A Summary of Graham Thorpe’s Stats: Tests, ODIs, First Class, List A, and T20s

Here is a detailed overview of Graham Thorpe’s stats in Tests, ODIs, First Class, List A, and T20s:

Tests:

ODIs:

First Class:

List A:

T20s: