Published: Apr 14, 2016, 04:16 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 14, 2016, 04:16 PM (IST)
Johannesburg: England Test skipper Alastair Cookhas admitted that his team-mate James Taylor‘s forced retirement from international cricket due to a serious heart condition came as a huge shock to him. The 26-year-old, who played seven Tests and 27 ODIs for England, pulled out of last week’s domestic first class fixture against Cambridge MCCU with what was believed to be a viral condition. The specialist scans later revealed that Taylor has a very serious heart condition called ARVC(Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Arrhythmia). ALSO READ: James Taylor was on the brink of becoming ‘a fantastic England player,’ says Nasser Hussain
However, Cook stressed that his former teammate was fortunate to have been detected early with the disease, adding that he hoped his operation goes well,Sport24 reported. Taylor recently played under Cook during their four-match Test series in South Africa, which the visitors went on to win by 2-1.
Describing Taylor as a ‘great’ character, Cook insisted that the former had managed to prove the critics wrong repeatedly and that his side were lucky to play alongside him in recent times. Earlier, Taylor’s team-mates Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Jason Roy, Australian opener Usman Khawaja and South Africa paceman Morne Morkel were among other notable players who extended their support to the devastated batsman.
