Taylor thought he was ‘going to die’

London: Former England batsman James Taylor, who was forced to retire due to a serious heart condition, said he first believed that he was “going to die”.

Taylor, who featured in seven Tests and 27 One-Day Internationals for England recalled the day when he felt uneasy during one of his practice sessions.

“I had my usual morning nap, and then did the warm-up. Towards the back end of the warm-up that’s when my chest started getting tight. Apart from being tight, it was beating at a million miles an hour. We were doing just a couple of routine catches and throws,” Taylor was quoted as saying by the BBC on Sunday.

“My heart was going wild at a funny rhythm. It was probably only about four degrees, really cold, and I got inside. Sweat from me is hitting the ground hard. So I knew I wasn’t right.”

“And that’s when I thought I was going to die.”

Asked how he is coping with the fact that he is not a cricketer anymore, Taylor said, “I think that’s been the hardest bit. When the doctor told me, I was in hysterics at first.”

“But then he told me that the majority of these cases are only found out in the post-mortem. I almost stopped crying at that point and felt more lucky that I’m in a position to tell this story now.”

Taylor was in his prime as a cricketer when his blossoming career was abruptly cut short. His one-day record was impressive while his List A [one-day] batting average was the fourth best just behind legendary duo Michael Bevan and AB de Villiers and India’s Cheteshwar Pujara.

His Test career was flourishing, a place in the England team for the summer was virtually assured - he was widely regarded as one of his country’s best players against spin, in particular, and had made the short-leg fielding position his own with some spectacular catches under the helmet over the winter.