New England captain Ben Stokes opened his tenureship by showing his support for former England batsman and assistant coach Graham Thorpe who remains seriously ill.
Well-wishes have poured in for Thorpe, one of the finest England batsmen of his generation, after he was taken ill last month.
And Stokes, assuming full-time England captaincy duties for the first time in the opening Test of the summer against New Zealand, showed his own support at Lord's on Thursday.
![Ben Stokes walks onto the field at Lord's wearing a shirt bearing the name of ill former England batsman and coach Graham Thorpe. Photo / Getty](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/3PURPZ5OVRFICI4R5HM57XFOHI.jpg?auth=65f6456742475c0235607088ff79fa16d1df5bb755e0deaad0ce729e4b69a91b&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
The all-rounder wore the traditional blue England blazer while walking out for the toss, before taking it off to show his England shirt with Thorpe's 564 playing number on the back.