Alastair Cook hopeful that James Taylor's legacy can help protect players
Wednesday 20 April 2016 14:34, UK
Alastair Cook says James Taylor's "tragic" retirement can leave a legacy that could help protect players in the future.
Taylor was forced to quit cricket on Tuesday after scans revealed the 26-year-old is suffering from a serious heart condition and must have surgery in the coming days.
Taylor was in line to take his place in the England Test side to face Sri Lanka in May after impressing on the successful tour of South Africa over the winter and Test skipper Cook admitted he was "numb" when he was told the news by England team director Andrew Strauss.
"He was just starting to do what he's done his whole life and prove people wrong," Cook told Sky Sports News HQ. "He would have played the first Test against Sri Lanka and that gutsy character is what English cricket needs. It's taken the whole cricket world by shock.
"This week you remember you can't take your health for granted. My thoughts are with James and his family. A career robbed short like that is a tragic waste but on the flip side at least it was spotted and he's still with us.
"We've had heart scans. Can we do more? Of course. It's another checkpoint for the ECB to make sure everything is in place. Will it be a wake up call to make sure we can do more and spend more money to make sure players are looked after? Of course.
"One of the legacies that James could leave might be to protect a number of other players."
Fellow England player Jonny Bairstow, who has played with or against Taylor since they were under-13s and was a room-mate on tour with England, added his support.
"Everyone's absolutely distraught for James. It's not something that anyone's taking lightly and we wish him all the best, obviously with his operation first and then a speedy recovery.
"I spoke to him and he's a tough chap but it's such a major thing and it's going to take a little bit of time to sink in.
"Yesterday I was pretty shell-shocked [for him]. Now, we've got to help him through it as best we can."
