England pay tribute to Graham Thorpe ahead of first Test since his tragic death

England will pay tribute to Graham Thorpe, who died earlier this month, in the opening Test of the series against Sri Lanka.

Wednesday's match will be England's first since Thorpe, who played 100 Test matches between 1993 and 2005 and later worked as an assistant coach for the national team, committed suicide.

Since then, numerous honours have been received from all areas of sport, reflecting Thorpe's impact as a player and a person.

England will mark his tragic death with a series of tributes at Old Trafford.

A minute's silence is planned before the opening day match and the entire team will wear black armbands. There may also be a video shown at the stadium while spectators pay their respects.

During his 11-year stint as a coach with the England and Wales Cricket Board, working with both the national team and the Lions, Thorpe had a huge influence on a number of England batsmen. He was one of the early advocates of Joe Root, lobbying for his selection for the 2012 tour of India when the Yorkshireman was just 21 years old.

“As a player he was one of my heroes,” Root said after Thorpe’s death.

“He could sing you a ballad or knock you down at the crease. He could do it all. He could play spin well, bowl fast, bat for hours, sustain or entertain, and he incorporated all that knowledge into his coaching.

“I owe him so much. He gave me the opportunity to play for the Lions before I had even scored a first-class hundred. He saw something in me. I know he pushed Andy Flower so hard to get me on that Test tour to India.”

Ben Stokes, who also worked closely with Thorpe, described him after his death as “a great man and a great loss to the cricket world”.

“I learned a lot from Thorpey – got to know him as a person. Great, great man, have incredible memories with him – a lot of fun,” he said.

Among England's 11 players against Sri Lanka on Thursday will be four from Surrey, Thorpe's club during his first-class career which lasted from 1988 to 2005.