Nasser Hussain pays touching tribute to his 'best mate' and 'little genius' Graham Thorpe ahead of the first Sri Lanka Test following the former England star's tragic death at the age of 55

Nasser Hussain has paid a touching tribute to his former England teammate Graham Thorpe after the ex-cricketer died at the age of 55 in early August.

Ahead of England's first Test match against Sri Lanka, which begins at Old Trafford on Wednesday, the ECB also paid tribute to Thorpe, with players from both teams lining up to watch a video tribute to the former England cricketer.

Michael Atherton also read a poem and there was a brief applause before the anthems of both countries were sung.

Players from England and Sri Lanka wore black armbands in honour of Thorpe before the opening day at Old Trafford.

Condolences have been pouring in for the former Surrey batsman who was tragically struck by a train at his local station in Esher, Surrey, earlier this month.

Thorpe's international career spanned from 1993 to 2005, with the England star playing alongside Hussain during that time.

Nasser Hussain paid a touching tribute to his former England teammate Graham Thorpe on Tuesday

Before England's first Test against Sri Lanka, both teams paid tribute to Thorpe with a minute's applause

“He was one of my best friends,” Hussain told Sky Sports about his former teammate.

“He was so much fun and such pleasant company – just my type.”

“In a team environment, he would never say anything. He didn't have to walk into a room and tell you what a good player he was. He just knew what a good player he was.”

During the emotional interview, Hussain spoke about some “special memories” of his time touring with Thorpe and the camaraderie between the two.

“My special memories come from the team meetings in his room or mine, playing around with racket handles and comparing rackets.

“And when I look back on it now, it was less about the bat handles and the bats and more about coping with being an international cricketer and all the pressure that [come with that]. Prepare yourself and your mind for the next day.

“He was always there for me in my darkest moments, and that's probably what makes me saddest now, because I wasn't there for him in his darkest moment at the end.”

During his interview with Sky Sports, Hussain (right) called Thorpe (left) “one of his best friends” and praised him as a “great player”.

Old Trafford paid tribute to the former Surrey and England batsman who scored 6,744 Test runs during his outstanding career

Hussain (left) shared some “special memories” of the couple’s tour of England

Hussain told Sky Sports that Thorpe would help him “deal with the pressure of international cricket”.

Thorpe's (right) attitude helped England win, while Hussain (left) spoke of his teammate's fighting spirit that always drove his team to victory

Thorpe will be remembered as one of the finest batsmen of his generation. During his outstanding cricket career, Thorpe scored 6,744 Test runs for England, hitting 16 centuries, and scored a whopping 21,937 First Class runs for Surrey.

“Whenever you doubted yourself as a player or captain, you went to his room and he would put everything into perspective,” Hussain continued.

“He was just a really good guy and a great, great player.”

“I can't tell you what a great player he was – and not just a great average of 44, average of 45, 100 Test matches. But when we needed him, when we were 30-2 – we were often with [Michael] Atherton at the top of the rankings – he would be sent [Thorpe] through the door and he came to the middle and you could look into his eyes and know he was ready for a fight.

“That's all the people who come here for Test matches want from their England cricketer. They want talent. That should be a given – if you play for your country, you should be talented.”

Thorpe also served as England's batting coach, but left the team in 2022

“But they want you to make the most of that talent and show fighting spirit and real character.”

“This little man [Thorpe]”I called him the 'little genius' because that's exactly what he did. Day in and day out he was there and showed a lot of fighting spirit and that's why we as teammates, fans and his family and everyone who knew Graham loved him because he was full of fighting spirit and character and a lot of fun.”