LONDON, July 14: England batsman Graham Thorpe announced his retirement from one-day international cricket on Saturday.

“I have made this decision for two reasons,” Thorpe said after England’s one-day triangular series final defeat by India. “Firstly, in terms of keeping my body fit it is becoming harder to do so...I have decided to concentrate on playing test matches.

“Secondly, I want to have more time to build a relationship with my two children, given my new personal circumstances at home,” added Thorpe, whose marriage recently broke up.

England coach Duncan Fletcher paid tribute to Thorpe, who was left out of the team for the final which India won by two wickets.

“Graham has been a fantastic one-day player for England and we will miss him, but we look forward to him continuing to be a key player in our test match side.”

The 32-year-old Thorpe played 82 one-day internationals, scoring 2,380 runs at an average of 37.18.

Skipper Nasser Hussain added: “It’s a huge blow. He’s the first casualty of the amount of cricket we have to play.

“My body aches, I know how he feels.”

He said Thorpe, “a fine and exquisite player” and regarded as England’s most accomplished accumulator in the one-day game, had told him he wanted to quit earlier in the triangular series but had asked him to wait until the tournament was over before breaking the news.—Reuters