England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has appointed the former England cricketer James Taylor as the full-time selector of the national squad with immediate effect. He will work in tandem with the national selector Ed Smith. He took an early retirement from cricket after being diagnosed with a heart condition Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC) in 2016.

Taylor’s career had just started then and was being promoted as the next big thing in England cricket. Unfortunately, his career could only last for 7 Tests and 27 ODIs in which he scored 312 and 887 runs respectively. He was a veteran in the domestic circuit when he came into the national squad with an experience of 139 first-class games to go with 136 List-A games.

The ECB confirmed the news on their official website as the national selector Ed Smith announced James Taylor’s appointment as the full-time selector. Smith said, “We are excited that James is joining us as a full-time England Selector for the men’s game. He is highly determined, with a deep knowledge of the contemporary game at domestic and international level. He was the outstanding candidate. James’s early retirement has brought a unique opportunity for the game; he can bring his recent experiences and insights to selection, as we seek to identify the best players to drive forward England’s teams in all formats.”

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Taylor was also happy to take up the role and thanked the cricket board for giving him the opportunity and the honor to work for the betterment of England cricket.

James said, “I’m thrilled to be taking up this role with the ECB and once again supporting the England set-up. This is an important role and it’s a huge honor to be appointed. I have always been deeply passionate about the game and will bring all of my energy and experience – from the Lions, domestic cricket and the international Test and white-ball game – to this task. I’m excited to be given the opportunity to work alongside Ed Smith and can’t wait to get started.”

The new selection panel comprises of Ed Smith (National selector), James Taylor (England selector) and England’s coach Trevor Bayliss.