sport news England captain Ben Stokes pays tribute to ill former coach Graham Thorpe with ... trends now England captain Ben Stokes pays tribute to seriously ill Graham Thorpe by ditching the traditional blazer and wearing his former coach's name and number on a shirt for the coin toss ahead of the first Test against New Zealand By Kieran Jackson For Mailonline Published: 10:41 BST, 2 June 2022 | Updated: 10:45 BST, 2 June 2022 Viewcomments England captain Ben Stokes has paid tribute to ill former England cricketer and coach Graham Thorpe ahead of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's. The new skipper wore a shirt with 'Thorpe 564' on the back, a nod to the 52-year-old's Test cap number. A statement released by the Professional Cricketers' Association last month at the request of Thorpe's family, said the prognosis was 'unclear' for the former England and Surrey batsman. The statement read: 'Graham Thorpe has recently fallen seriously ill and is currently in hospital receiving treatment. His prognosis is unclear at this stage and we ask for privacy for him and his family at this time. Our thoughts are with Graham and his family.' More to follow... England captain Ben Stokes pays tribute to ill former coach Graham Thorpe with his shirt The 52-year-old, one of England's greatest batsmen and an ex-coach, is seriously ill in hospital A statement released by the Professional Cricketers' Association back in March at the request of Thorpe's family, said the prognosis was 'unclear' for the former England and Surrey batsman Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility