[3] The 1990 season broke records for high scoring,[17] however Thorpe struggled with an average of 27 and made just three half-centuries from 18 matches, he ended the campaign playing for the second XI.

[24] In May 1993, Thorpe received his first senior international call-up as part of a 13-man squad for the Texaco Trophy, a three-match ODI series against the touring Australians.

"[40] Thorpe was dropped for the home series with New Zealand in 1994, new chairman of selectors Ray Illingworth made wholesale changes with only six of the West Indies touring squad retained and opted for just five specialist batsmen with a five-man bowling attack including all-rounder Craig White.

[41][42] While back playing for Surrey, Thorpe made the highest List A score of his career against Lancashire in the NatWest Trophy, the innings of 145 not out coming from 135 deliveries.

He shared a 180-run partnership with David Ward which set a county record for the competition and Surrey's total of 343 was also their highest in one-day cricket at the time.

[45] Thorpe, batting at number four, scored 72 from 112 balls including 13 boundaries during England's first innings, Wisden picked out "his urgency, instinctive placement and crisp driving".

[39] In his series summary, Scyld Berry praised Thorpe's attacking play for enlivening England who prior to his introduction had taken a defensive approach to their batting.

His partnership of 158 with Mark Ramprakash recovered England's first innings from 77/4 but after Thorpe was dismissed, stumped off a Shane Warne top-spinner, they collapsed going on to lose the match by 329 runs.

[54] During the second innings of the second Test, he was struck first ball by an unintentional beamer from Courtney Walsh and spent the night at St Mary's Hospital but returned the following day to make 42.

The pair batted through to the close adding 150 in 169 minutes with Wisden stating that Thorpe's "cutting and sweeping of Warne were crucial in seizing the initiative".

[80] Thorpe ended the season with a double-century for Surrey against County Championship leaders Glamorgan, batting for 438 minutes in making a then career best score of 222.

[83] England's tour of West Indies in early 1998 began dramatically as the first Test was abandoned after an hour due to a dangerous pitch.

[86] In setting up a second innings declaration Thorpe added 36 off 35 balls which included three pulled fours in a single Curtly Ambrose over, however final day rain denied England a chance of squaring the series.

[39] Thorpe played in the first game of the subsequent ODI series before returning home early from the tour due to the back injury sustained in the fifth Test.

[91] Thorpe was named in England's ODI squad for the home series with South Africa but suffered a reoccurrence of the back injury in a practise session and missed all three matches.

[92] To prove his fitness ahead of the Test series he played a County Championship match against Kent and took six catches in their first innings, one short of the first-class record for a fielder.

[102][103] Thorpe was selected in the squad for the 1999 World Cup staged in England and proved his fitness in the build-up by scoring two ODI fifties in two days during the Sharjah triangular tournament.

[111] In a difficult international summer, Thorpe did enjoy success with Surrey, making nine appearances as they won the County Championship title for the first time since 1971.

[114] After missing the South Africa series Thorpe was omitted from the first set of central contracts awarded by the ECB for the 2000 English summer.

[115] Thorpe struggled for form at the start of the season while playing for Surrey, making 112 runs in nine innings before scoring a century against Somerset in mid-June.

[117][118] His return to Test cricket after 11 months began inauspiciously as he was dismissed lbw from the first delivery he faced, a slower ball from Courtney Walsh that Thorpe lost sight of and ducked into.

[124] A collapse from the hosts in the third Test at Karachi left England a target of 176 in 44 overs, Thorpe scored an unbeaten 64 to see them to victory, completing the run chase in near darkness due to Pakistan's slow over-rate.

England lost wickets regularly in their first innings but Thorpe remained, and with support from the tail was able to reach three figures and put his side into a narrow lead.

[170] In the following match at Old Trafford, he began his innings in partnership with Andrew Strauss for the first time and the two left-handers added 177 for the third wicket recovering the score from 40/3.

[179] At the start of the English season, Thorpe was in poor form making 78 runs in five County Championship innings while also missing a match due to a back injury.

[187] A month later he retired from all first-class cricket stating: "In purely physical terms, I don't want to go through another season of taking painkillers and having injections in my back.

[196] Mike Atherton rated Thorpe's Colombo century in testing conditions as "one of the finest I ever saw from an England player" despite a lack of fluent strokeplay.

He described his technique as akin to French cricket where he played the ball late, with a low backlift and was able to use his wrists to place his shots past the fielders.

He clashed with his first county captain Ian Greig and was opposed to Surrey having separate dressing rooms for players depending on if they were capped or not.

[202] In 2004, he outspokenly criticised the ECB for allowing England to tour Zimbabwe for an ODI series when they had pulled out of playing a World Cup match in the country the previous year.