James Taylor says heart condition should have killed him, 10 years on

A heart rate of 265 beats a minute ended James Taylor’s England career at 26, but the diagnosis behind it may also have saved his life. Ten years after he was forced to retire with immediate effect, Taylor said the heart condition that stopped him should probably have killed him.

Taylor was first struck down on 6 April 2016 during Nottinghamshire’s pre-season fixture against Cambridge MCCU at Fenner’s, when he felt unwell while warming up and doctors initially thought he had a viral illness. Specialist scans then revealed arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, known as ARVC, an inherited heart condition that carries a risk of sudden death. He was later taken to hospital in Nottingham, where his heart rate was reported at 265 beats per minute, more than four beats every second.

The diagnosis brought an abrupt end on 12 April 2016 to a career that had taken Taylor from Nottinghamshire to the England team. Doctors planned to fit him with a defibrillator during an operation in the days after the diagnosis. The British Heart Foundation says ARVC is rare, inherited and progressive, can be managed but not cured, and that up to 64,000 people in the UK are estimated to have a faulty gene that can lead to the condition.

Taylor had already played seven Tests and 27 one-day internationals for England, including the 2015 Cricket World Cup and all four Tests in England’s 2-1 series win in South Africa earlier in 2016. He had been expected to feature in England’s Test and ODI plans that summer before the illness ended his career overnight.

The reaction was immediate. Nottinghamshire director of cricket Mick Newell said Taylor’s retirement was a big shock and described him as a model professional. England team director Andrew Strauss said Taylor’s career had been cut short in a sudden and unexpected manner. Former footballer Fabrice Muamba, who survived his own collapse in 2012, also publicly offered support.

Taylor later rebuilt his life around the game in different roles, including coaching and media work, and was appointed a full-time England selector in July 2018. In 2024, he said his heart had been started in front of hundreds of people, a reminder of how close he came to death and how the defibrillator fitted after diagnosis helped turn a medical emergency into a second chance.