Archer has been excluded from England’s second test against the Windies after breaching bio-secure protocols. The English pacer went back home before the first test in Southampton as well as the second test in Manchester. This after the ECB had decided all matches would be played behind closed doors in a biosecure environment. His breach of protocol was only found after the naming of a 13 man squad for the Test.
England hasn’t named a replacement yet and will do so come to the toss on Thursday. “I have put not only myself but the whole team and management in danger. I fully accept the consequences of my actions and I want to apologise to everyone in the bio-secure bubble. It deeply pains me to be missing the Test match, especially with the series poised. I feel like I have let both teams down, and again I am sorry,” the pacer added.
Archer will now be forced to isolate for five days and will undergo 2 coronavirus tests both of which will need to return negative before he can return to the team. The windies have been informed of the breach and are satisfied with the restrictions imposed. Former England captain Michael Vaughan told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s a blow for the England side. Jofra Archer is a wonderful cricketer. “It’s going to make it so much more difficult for England to get back into the series.”
England has gone through a lot of trouble in crafting the protocols and Archer’s breach although might seem minor to some just goes to show how serious they are about them. The ECB has realized that the players would have to leave the bubble from time to time but on this instance, they were supposed to go straight to Manchester from Southampton.
