Latest news with #JoeRoot
Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Telegraph
Ashes drinking video caused ‘catastrophic damage' to Graham Thorpe, inquest told
Graham Thorpe's life 'came crashing down' after he lost his job as England assistant coach in February 2022, an inquest has heard. Thorpe, who played 100 Test matches for England before joining the national team's coaching staff in 2010, was first diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2018 but his condition worsened significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic and the England Ashes tour of Australia in 2021-22. An inquest into his death began on Wednesday morning, with Surrey Coroner's Court hearing that Thorpe was 'distraught, horrified, ashamed, terrified' when a late night video of a post-series social he had shared with some friends was leaked. Thorpe had filmed four police officers shutting down the social with Joe Root, the England captain, and Jimmy Anderson, as well as Australia's Nathan Lyon, Alex Carey and Travis Head. In a statement, Thorpe's wife Amanda told the coroner's court that he 'apologised personally to everyone' but was 'very stressed' by an incident that was 'blown out of proportion'. She said that he had got through a previous bout of depression without it affecting his work but that he found the Covid-19 lockdown 'very difficult' and that England's tour to India had been 'tough' for him and that he was already struggling with anxiety and experiencing difficulty sleeping. He sought help from the England & Wales Cricket Board in March 2021 and the decision to take him to Australia, where there was daily Covid testing and even more stringent lockdown restrictions, was questioned. Both Amanda and Thorpe's father, Geoff, did not think that he should have gone on that tour. It was acknowledged, however, that Thorpe would also have found it hard to stay at home. 'Really thinking about it… because he went on that tour, he was dismissed,' said Amanda. 'That ultimately was what he couldn't deal with. He probably had an option to say, 'I don't want to go'. [But] there's a big difference to saying, 'Do you want to go?' to 'We think you ought not to go'. I think that would have made a big difference. I don't think he realised how ill he was. He wishes he hadn't gone because of all that happened after.' England lost the series 4-0 and Thorpe was dismissed soon after returning to England. The inquest heard that this came as a 'real shock' and was the start of a tragic decline in his mental health. 'To be sacked after that, I think it was foreseeable that it would be really hard on him – it was harder than we could have known,' said Amanda. 'He came back from the tour of Australia in such a terrible state. It was down to lots of things; the video, the whole environment.' In a statement to Surrey Coroner's Court, Thorpe's father Geoff said that the late-night video incident in Australia had caused 'catastrophic damage' and that his life 'came crashing down when his employment to the ECB was terminated'. Thorpe, it was said, 'felt a failure, spiralled into depression' and became drained of confidence, with issues of anxiety and insomnia, loss of appetite, guilt, feeling a burden and not wanting to meet people. He had been offered a job with the Afghanistan national team in 2022 but it was ultimately decided that he was too unwell to take up the role. He made a first attempt on his life on April 30, 2022, less than three months after losing his England job, which left him unconscious for three weeks and in intensive care for around five weeks. He continued to suffer with suicidal thoughts – despite many attempts at intervention and support from loved ones and health professionals – before dying after being struck by a train in August 2024. 'He was really suffering – it was awful to see – he just felt that no one could help him,' Amanda told the coroner's court. 'He told me he was scared and I told him I was scared to. I tried to reach out to everyone I thought. The weeks leading up to his death, he told me he doesn't want to be here any more. He asked me to help him end his life. He said he wants to go to Switzerland. I was in turmoil. Then we get a letter for an appointment [with the medical team] in a month's time. How ill do you have to be?' Thorpe's father described a son who had been an outstanding footballer as well as cricketer who was 'dedicated, motivated and determined to do well' but that he was hit hard by the break up of his first marriage in 2001, both emotionally and financially. This was followed by him taking a year-long break from international cricket. 'Sometimes us chaps are a little bit macho – think we can cope, in fact we can't,' said Geoff, describing his son as 'fine' until Covid and 'not a fella who likes to be cooped up'. The inquest heard that Thorpe used alcohol in an attempt to mitigate his anxiety and try to sleep. Professor Nick Pierce, chief medical officer at the ECB, said that a variety of wellbeing support was provided, notably through their partnership with Changing Minds, a provider of clinical psychologists in elite sport. In a statement, Prof Pierce said that Thorpe had received Changing Minds support on camps and tours from 2019 and that there had been 'no indication that Graham was at risk of immediate self harm' during the India tour in 2020-21. He also said that a personal risk assessment and wellbeing safety plan was made prior to the 2021-22 Ashes tour, in conjunction with Thorpe and director of cricket Ashley Giles, and that Thorpe continued to receive support upon returning from Australia in Jan 2022. Of his dismissal the following month, Prof Pierce said: 'It is a common occurrence in elite sport for performance-related decisions to result in a rapid turnaround of staff'. In his statement, he also pointed out that Giles and head coach Chris Silverwood also lost their jobs, describing Thorpe's first suicide attempt as 'devastating and a complete shock to everyone who had been involved in his care'. A celebratory 'Day for Thorpey' will be held on the second day of the fifth Test against India at the Oval next month on what would have been his 56th birthday. Amanda and Thorpe's daughters Kitty and Emma are raising money for mental health charity Mind.
News.com.au
18 hours ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
England captain Ben Stokes hails Joe Root the greatest ever as he closes in on Ricky Ponting
England captain Ben Stokes has crowned teammate Joe Root the greatest of all time as he closes in on the run tally of Australian champion Ricky Ponting. Root (13,259) will enter Wednesday night's fourth Test against India 119 runs behind Ponting (13,378) as the second-highest run scorer of all time. South African Jacques Kallis and Indian Rahul Dravid sit between Root and Ponting but hold just a 29 and 30-run lead respectively. If Root is to better Ponting in the first innings in Manchester, he will top the Aussie great in less innings. Regardless, if Root is to pass Ponting this week, he will still need at least three years of dominant scoring to eclipse Indian batting genius Sachin Tendulkar (15,291). Stokes said 'less is more' when asked about Root and the impending record before labelling him the greatest ever. 'Yeah, sometimes with those, less is more, maybe?' he said. 'I don't need to say anything else other than he's just the absolute G.O.A.T.' Root will be England's most pivotal player in this summer's Ashes despite making none of his 37 Test centuries on Australian soil. The right-hander has a modest average of 35 in Australia and has failed to convert nine of his 50s. Root's recent purple patch in the twilight of his career is poised to propel him among some of the game's greats. But former Aussie coach Darren Lehmann sparked a spat between the old rivals last year when he labelled Root 'a rung below' for his record in Australia. 'Joe Root is a great player, but is he an all-time great? He's had (three) goes in the Ashes (in Australia), hasn't made a hundred,' Lehmann said told ABC Sport. 'He is a rung below (Steve Smith, Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson) for that reason. 'They've made runs all over the world in difficult conditions against different oppositions. And that's the only thing stopping Joe Root. 'I think he's a great player, but is he in that upper echelon? I don't have him in that realm. 'I think you've got to make hundreds all around the world. Smith does, (Kane) Williamson has, Kohli has, (Rohit) Sharma has – I mean they're world-class players.' The Ashes begin in Perth on November 21.
Rhyl Journal
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Root's run chase and seamers doubling up – Old Trafford talking points
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key areas for discussion ahead of the game. Hardly a match goes by these days where Joe Root is not setting a new statistical milestone – and he is on the verge of a huge one this week. If he adds 120 runs to his current haul of 13,259, the Yorkshireman will move up to second on the all-time Test run-scorers list. Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting are in his sights and then only the great Sachin Tendulkar, who has 15,921 runs, will be ahead of him. After his gritty 104 at Lord's in the first innings, the 34-year-old could add to his tally and reach a historic milestone. As Ben Stokes said in his pre-match press conference, Root is 'the absolute GOAT'. In the squad. In the team. Let's do this, LD 👊 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2025 Shoaib Bashir's Test summer is over because of a broken finger he suffered at Lord's, which has opened the door for fellow spinner Liam Dawson's return to the Test side. The slow left-armer's last red-ball outing for England was all the way back in July 2017 but he has lit up the domestic scene for Hampshire with more than 100 wickets in the past couple of seasons. He was in electric form with the bat as well last year with 956 County Championship runs at an average just below 60. Dawson bats at number six for his county, so for England to have that quality batting at eight adds great depth to the side. England naming the same frontline fast bowling attack as they did at Lord's means Jofra Archer keeps his place. In his first Test appearance after a four-and-a-half-year absence, he cracked the game wide open in India's doomed pursuit of 193 with three crucial wickets including dangerman Rishabh Pant. Being able to call upon Archer's pace and hostility is vital for England. India, meanwhile, are set to retain Jasprit Bumrah for the third of three scheduled appearances this summer. Despite only playing twice so far, he is second on the wicket-taking charts with 12 at an average of 21. His impact is astronomical, and he is set to play a huge part in a must-win Test for India. India will be without all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for the remainder of the series due to a knee injury. One option India have is to bring left-arm leg spinner Kuldeep Yadav into the side. That would leave them with three spinners at a ground that has been known to turn, and a trio of Kuldeep, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja is a potent attack. But playing one less seamer with doubts around the notoriously unpredictable weather forecast in Manchester could leave India vulnerable. One of the biggest talking points after the Lord's Test last week was the slow over-rate and constant ball changes from both sides. However, a time-wasting row late on the third evening lit the touchpaper for a fiery last couple of days. Shubman Gill reopened old wounds by insisting Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett acted against the fabled 'spirit of the game'. Harry Brook, meanwhile, revealed England head coach Brendon McCullum told them they were 'too nice' and that the flashpoint with Crawley and Duckett was an 'opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys'. With the series on the line in Manchester, do not be surprised if the needle continues this week.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
England to win, have a first innings lead and the highest opening partnership in first innings is NOW 7/2 ahead of the fourth Test against India
Sky Bet have boosted odds on England ahead of the start of the fourth Test against India at Old Trafford. Ben Stokes and his side head into penultimate match with a 2-1 lead and have the chance to claim an impressive series win in the north west. Ahead of what promises to be another nail-biting match, weather permitting, Sky Bet have boosted odds on England to dominate with the bat and ultimately claim victory. The price for England to Win, Have 1st Innings Lead & Highest Opening Partnership in 1st Innings has been boosted from 3/1 to 7/2. Meanwhile, England are the favourites to win the match, which gets underway on Wednesday morning. The squad have ridden their luck at times during the series but will take heart from their persistence in ending the Indian second innings at Lord's. The home side, who won by 22 and 26 runs in their two victories thus far, have been priced at 10/11, with India at 9/4 and 3/1 for the draw. Sky Bet Match Winner odds for England vs India: England - 10/11 India - 3/1 Draw - 9/4 Sky Bet Price Boosts for England vs India: England to Win, Have 1st Innings Lead & Highest Opening Partnership in 1st Innings WAS 3/1 NOW 7/2 Joe Root Top England Runscorer in 1st Innings WAS 7/2 NOW 4/1 KL Rahul Top India Runscorer in 1st Innings WAS 9/2 NOW 5/1
South Wales Guardian
a day ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Root's run chase and seamers doubling up – Old Trafford talking points
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key areas for discussion ahead of the game. Hardly a match goes by these days where Joe Root is not setting a new statistical milestone – and he is on the verge of a huge one this week. If he adds 120 runs to his current haul of 13,259, the Yorkshireman will move up to second on the all-time Test run-scorers list. Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting are in his sights and then only the great Sachin Tendulkar, who has 15,921 runs, will be ahead of him. After his gritty 104 at Lord's in the first innings, the 34-year-old could add to his tally and reach a historic milestone. As Ben Stokes said in his pre-match press conference, Root is 'the absolute GOAT'. In the squad. In the team. Let's do this, LD 👊 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 22, 2025 Shoaib Bashir's Test summer is over because of a broken finger he suffered at Lord's, which has opened the door for fellow spinner Liam Dawson's return to the Test side. The slow left-armer's last red-ball outing for England was all the way back in July 2017 but he has lit up the domestic scene for Hampshire with more than 100 wickets in the past couple of seasons. He was in electric form with the bat as well last year with 956 County Championship runs at an average just below 60. Dawson bats at number six for his county, so for England to have that quality batting at eight adds great depth to the side. England naming the same frontline fast bowling attack as they did at Lord's means Jofra Archer keeps his place. In his first Test appearance after a four-and-a-half-year absence, he cracked the game wide open in India's doomed pursuit of 193 with three crucial wickets including dangerman Rishabh Pant. Being able to call upon Archer's pace and hostility is vital for England. India, meanwhile, are set to retain Jasprit Bumrah for the third of three scheduled appearances this summer. Despite only playing twice so far, he is second on the wicket-taking charts with 12 at an average of 21. His impact is astronomical, and he is set to play a huge part in a must-win Test for India. India will be without all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy for the remainder of the series due to a knee injury. One option India have is to bring left-arm leg spinner Kuldeep Yadav into the side. That would leave them with three spinners at a ground that has been known to turn, and a trio of Kuldeep, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja is a potent attack. But playing one less seamer with doubts around the notoriously unpredictable weather forecast in Manchester could leave India vulnerable. One of the biggest talking points after the Lord's Test last week was the slow over-rate and constant ball changes from both sides. However, a time-wasting row late on the third evening lit the touchpaper for a fiery last couple of days. Shubman Gill reopened old wounds by insisting Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett acted against the fabled 'spirit of the game'. Harry Brook, meanwhile, revealed England head coach Brendon McCullum told them they were 'too nice' and that the flashpoint with Crawley and Duckett was an 'opportunity that arose for us to not be the nice guys'. With the series on the line in Manchester, do not be surprised if the needle continues this week.
