Former England batter Graham Thorpe’s wife, Amanda, has levelled a grave allegation against the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), stating that her husband “would still be alive” had the board offered meaningful support after removing him from the assistant-coach role. Thorpe, who represented England in 100 Tests and 82 ODIs between 1993 and 2005, died by suicide in August 2024, two years after his dismissal. Speaking to talkSPORT, Amanda said the months following his exit were marked by isolation. She claimed that even a small mechanism of connection with England Cricket could have changed the course of events. She said, “If he’d had just a little bit of the support framework there to lean on a bit to just transition a bit more, it would have made all the difference." Describing the abrupt end to his professional attachment, she noted that the termination felt like “the end of a long army career,” adding that Thorpe suddenly lost the structure, routine, and national expectations that had shaped his adult life. Read also: Ind vs SA 2nd Test: Ravindra Jadeja bowls unplayable, chips off Aiden Markram bails on Day 4 Thorpe’s Career Record and Post-Retirement Role Thorpe debuted for England in May 1993 against Australia in Manchester. His first Test appearance followed weeks later in Nottingham during the Ashes, where he struck an unbeaten 114 in the second innings. Over a 12-year Test career, he accumulated 6744 runs, including a double century against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2002. In ODIs, he collected 2380 runs in 82 matches, featuring 21 half-centuries and contributing two wickets. He was part of England’s 1996 and 1999 World Cup squads. After his retirement, Thorpe joined England’s coaching structure and eventually served as the national team’s batting coach before becoming assistant coach. Amanda maintained that the absence of transitional support after this phase break proved catastrophic. She reiterated that the board’s indifference left him without direction at a vulnerable time, making his decline tragically unavoidable in her view.