23 year old England cricketer forced to retire from cricket due to rare heart disease

The 23-year-old hadn’t played a single game for England in international cricket.

England’s rising cricketer Ben Wells has been forced to retire from professional cricket at the age of 23 due to a rare heart disease. 

Wells, who is a wicket-keeper batter from Gloucestershire county, was signed by them in July 2021 and made his debut a few days later against Lancashire. His most recent performance was an unbeaten match-winning knock of 108 runs against Durham in last season’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup.

However, in an official statement on his county team’s website, Wells said that he has been diagnosed with Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy (ARVC), which is a rare heart disease. Earlier, former English cricketer James Taylor was also diagnosed with the same condition in 2016 and then took retirement from the game with immediate effect.

Ben Wells’ diseases was revealed during a routine test in pre-season testing. To lessen the risk of fatality, a person with ARVC needs to avoid powerful excercises, which meant Wells had no choice but to take a hard call on his cricketing career at the age of 23.

“As tough as it is, this diagnosis has likely saved my life and in time I hope that I can see it in that light,” he wrote in an open letter on the club’s website.

The youngster has played 25 games for his county team, Gloucestershire, across List A and T20 formats. He smashed 514 runs across formats, including an unbeaten 108 runs against Durham in his final match.

Gloucestershire is devastated for Ben Wells

The English County cricket club Gloucestershire made an official statement regarding the immediate retirement of 23-year-old Ben. The club said that it will fully supporting him and his family in their difficult time.

“While everyone at Gloucestershire is devastated for Ben, a hugely talented cricketer with a bright future ahead, we are incredibly grateful to both the club’s medical professionals and those externally who acted quickly to diagnose Ben’s heart condition at the earliest opportunity,” Gloucestershire said in a statement.

“The club, alongside the PCA [Professional Cricketers’ Association], are actively supporting Ben through what is undoubtedly a very difficult time for him and his family,” the statement added.

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