Joe Root leads England cricket players and fans in wonderful tribute to Graham Thorpe
White headbands were once the province of Bjorn Borg or John McEnroe in a golden age of tennis at Wimbledon. But on the day English cricket remembered tragic Graham Thorpe, it was the must-have fashion accessory among cricket fans paying tribute to the finest player never to win the Ashes.
On what would have been his 56th birthday, Surrey's poignant Day for Thorpey was a reminder that some things are more important than runs, wickets and catches. It was a year ago, almost to the day, that the awful news broke that Thorpe - one of only 17 men to win 100 Test caps for England - succumbed to a prolonged battle with depression and anxiety.
On the iconic Pont Alexandre III bridge in Paris, at the Olympic triathlon mixed relay race, your correspondent felt his blood run cold when Lord's shared the grim bulletin with the world.
If you were there when Thorpe unfurled a chanceless hundred containing only one boundary in Lahore, a match-winning century in Colombo's blast-furnace heat, a comeback ton at The Oval after an intermission to address turbulence in his private life or a masterful 119 not out in Barbados, you were privileged.
All of them insulated by that trademark white headband.
As mental health charity Mind shifted hundreds of them in Thorpe's memory, Alec Stewart revealed his long-time team-mate for Surrey and England was as sound at talent-spotting as the was at the crease.
The 'Gaffer' said: 'Graham was the best all-conditions player of my generation, equally at home against the spin of Muttiah Muralitharan in Colombo or taking on the quicks of West Indies, Australia, South Africa or Pakistan.
'He would have loved this series. He loved the battle and the challenges of facing different types of bowlers and his great strength was being able to adapt his methods to all surfaces - which his record shows.
'After he went into coaching he had a massive influence on a number of players, especially Joe Root. If he was good enough for Joe, then he's good enough for anybody. I remember talking to him in my office at The Oval about Root and he was so excited about this lad from Yorkshire who was going right to the top.
'These are incredibly sad circumstances, but let's celebrate his life, remember what he went through and raise funds for a great cause to support other people in similar circumstances.'
In a touching gesture, Root fielded at slip without his England cap and sporting a Day for Thorpey headband.
Up there in the celestial dressing room, we can only hope the little genius could see how much cricket thought of him.
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