Former England cricketer calls for heart screening improvement after Tom Lockyer collapse

In the wake of Tom Lockyer’s collapse during Luton’s Premier League clash with Bournemouth, former England cricketer James Taylor believes it is important to continue heart screenings in sport.

Taylor’s own career was cut short because of a heart condition, and he was forced to retire in 2016 aged just 26, with a similar issue to the one that affected footballer Fabrice Muamba.

At the time Taylor had played seven Tests and 27 one-day internationals for England.

"Screening processes do a fantastic job but we can always be better," Taylor said, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast following Lockyer’s collapse.

"It is a really sad case and thankfully Tom has got great care where he is now.

"Screening protocols in whatever sport clearly need to be worked on and improved always."

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Lockyer collapsed on the field on Sunday, causing the game to be cancelled, while the player was taken to hospital.

The club issued an update on Sunday saying their club captain was “still undergoing tests and scans and is awaiting the results before the next steps for his recovery are determined”.

Lockyer had already collapsed during Luton’s Championship play-off final against Coventry in May and was taken to hospital. He subsequently had heart surgery and was cleared to return to playing.

At the time, the defender said his heart had been “checked and double-checked”, and that all scans and tests had “come back positive”.

Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020 and subsequently was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device. Serie A rules would not allow Eriksen to play with an ICD and he left Inter Milan by mutual consent.

Eriksen was allowed to play in the Premier League however, joining Brentford on a free for six months before signing for Manchester United in July 20222, just over a year following his on-field collapse.

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In the wake of the Eriksen collapse, a Football Association spokesperson explained: “In England, any player that has an abnormal cardiac screen or who develops a cardiac problem would be assessed by a sports cardiologist.

“In Italy, there is a longstanding nationwide cardiac screening policy which runs across all sports participation and does not allow participation in a case of increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest during exercise.”

The FA then oversaw around 1,5000 cardiac screens in professional football per year, but no player has been banned based on the screen, although participants would be made aware of the risks, should they continue to play.

However, one thing remained certain, the FA would not ban someone from playing based on the results of a cardiac screen.

The statement at the time added: “Any risk is to the player themselves and not to others on the pitch, so it is an individual decision which the player takes with support and advice from those who are responsible for their personal medical wellbeing.”