MANCHESTER: Stand-in Test captain Ollie Pope said Graham Thorpe was a “great man” as English cricket prepared to honor the stylish run-scorer before Wednesday’s start of the first Test against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford.

Thorpe, widely regarded as the outstanding England batsman of his generation, died aged 55 earlier this month after being hit by a train, with his wife Amanda confirming he had taken his own life having suffered from depression for several years.

Before the first of a three-match series gets underway, the giant screens at Old Trafford will show a series of videos recalling Thorpe’s career. There will also be a minute’s applause, with England wearing black armbands in Thorpe’s memory for the duration of the Test.

It will be the first time the side have publicly honored Thorpe, who later became an England assistant coach, since his death sent shockwaves throughout the world of cricket. For Pope, who has followed in Thorpe’s footsteps at both Surrey and England, and will be captaining his country for the first time in the absence of the injured Ben Stokes, it promises to be a particularly poignant occasion.

“We’ll have our black armbands on throughout the course of the game and there’ll be a tribute to him before the game,” he said during a pre-match press conference on Tuesday. “It’s hurt a lot of people in that changing room. He was a great man. I probably had two or three years playing with him as a batting coach and, as a person, I really admired him.”

The 26-year-old Pope added: “I always remember him saying one thing to me which was, ‘Never let the runs you’re scoring define you as a person’. When you’re young, in a bit of a rut, that was exactly what I needed to hear.

“It shows for me what a people’s person he was. He was loved in the changing room. He’s such a sad loss to everyone, to the country, his family and the boys as well. He’s missed and we’ll honor him this week.” — AFP