“I remember him saying one thing to me, which was: ‘Never let the runs you’re scoring define you as a person’. In a bit of a rut when you’re young, 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 honour him this week.”
The teams will line up for a moment of applause before the national anthems at Emirates Old Trafford on Wednesday morning, with a tribute video played on the big screens. Sky Sports will also pay tribute to Thorpe in their coverage, with many of their commentators counting him as a long-time team-mate and a close friend.
The opening of an inquest into Thorpe’s death heard last week that he died from “traumatic injuries” after being struck by a train at Esher railway station in Surrey on the morning of August 4.
The club have sold around 14,500 advance tickets for the first two days of the Test, with Friday sold out.