Archer pierces the bio bubble
MANCHESTER: A moment’s indiscretion landed England in trouble in the second Test against West Indies at Old Trafford as fast bowler Jofra Archer had to be ruled out for breaking coronavirus “protocols”.
Seeking to level the threematch Test series here, England now find themselves bowling last in this Test without the services of Archer and the rested pacer duo of James Anderson and Mark Wood. At the time of going to print on Day 1, England reached 200/3 in 75 overs. Victory in either of the two remaining Tests at Old Trafford would see the West Indies clinch their first series win in England in 32 years.
Both teams have been living in “bio-secure bubble” sites at Southampton’s Ageas Bowl, the venue for last week’s first Test, and Emirates Old Trafford, where the final two matches of the series will take place.
But Archer broke the rules by going home to Brighton on Monday following the end of the first Test, before the team travelled up to Manchester. His removal from the squad was announced just three hours before Thursday’s scheduled start. A Lancashire spokesman stressed the bio-secure protocols at their Old Trafford headquarters had “not been breached or impacted in any way”. “I am extremely sorry for what I have done,” Archer said in an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) statement. “I have put not only myself, but the whole teamandmanagementindanger. I fully accept the consequences of my actions, and I want to sincerely apologise to everyone in the bio-secure bubble.”
Archer, who had to be tested separately before the series after a family member in his household had felt unwell, will need to test negative twice for COVID-19 before his isolation period is lifted. “The West Indies team have been made aware and are satisfied with the measures that have been imposed,” the ECB statement said.
A spokesman said the breach had come to light late on Wednesday. He could not confirm if Archer would face further disciplinary action in addition to missing the second Test.
His breach of the rules provoked criticism from former captains as this misadventure threatens to undermine the effort made to persuade both the West Indies and Pakistan to tour England despite tens of thousands of coronavirus deaths in Britain.
“It’s very foolish for a number of reasons. One, it cost him a place in the team. Secondly it’s thrown
England’s plans into disarray, a vital Test match that they must win to try and win this series,” former captain Mike Atherton said on the Sky Sports Cricket broadcast.
“And thirdly it’s put at risk all the work that ECB have done. These six Test matches, three against West Indies, three against Pakistan, they’ve had to do a tremendous amount of work to get these games on.”
“It is naive and silly to get it wrong because of the effort that’s gone in, and the health risk - this is a serious illness and you cannot risk infecting anyone,” said former England captain Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports.
England have not called up a replacement into their second Test squad for Barbados-born quick Archer, who burst onto the international scene last year when he bowled the decisive Super Over in the World Cup final win over New Zealand at Lord’s. Archer’s absence deprives England of genuine speed on a pitch with a reputation for aiding fast bowlers. The 25-year-old hit the 90 miles per hour mark during a return of 3-45 in the second innings at Southampton--although the West Indies still won the first Test by four wickets. The hosts will now have to rely on a pace attack led by Stuart Broad who was recalled after being controversially rested for the first Test. Chris Woakes and Sam Curran returned to complete England’s pace attack with Ben Stokes, the stand-in skipper at the Ageas Bowl, the only survivor in a bowling line-up in which offspinner Dom Bess kept his place.
Stokes, however, was first called upon to steady England along with opener Dom Sibley after a nervous start saw them losing opener Rory Burns in a rain-shortened first session.