Careless and naive... he didn’t take the situation seriously

TO be inside the peculiar “biosecure bubble” at the Ageas Bowl last week or Emirates Old Trafford today is to have no doubt about protocol and, by extension, the importance of these matches.

Every last detail is mapped out for the 280 or so people in the ground. There are arrows guiding different groups of people round the ground, regular temperature tests. You can almost drown in the hand sanitiser.

Every last detail, that is, except what happened when the bubbles moved from Southampton and Manchester — or exactly what the players did on the 230-mile journey between venues.

While in the grounds, a “beacon card” attached to each person’s accreditation tracks their movement, preventing them from entering the wrong zones. But outside the ground, the beacon cards do not work, and players are not tracked.

This was the one short passage where the players were let out of the ECB’s sight, and were trusted to do the right thing. Before they set off, players were reminded specifically they were not to take any rogue breaks. They were given a list of recommended stopping points for petrol or the bathroom. Needless to say, Archer’s flat was not on the list.

Adding 120 miles to his journey was not the most grievous crime in cricket history, but there is a rather a lot at stake here. It was careless and naive, and he is guilty of not taking the situation seriously. As Archer himself said: “I have put, not only myself, but the whole team and management in danger”.

If that sounds extreme, Tom Harrison said back in March that a wiped-out English summer would cost the game £380million. The level of detail and expenditure that has gone into preparing these matches and keeping Covid out of the camp is extraordinary. You cannot blame ECB staff for feeling rather let down — and concerned.

They desperately needed this event to pass off simply, not have basic breaches like this.

The West Indies have taken a risk by coming to the UK, as have Pakistan, who are training in Worcester. Ireland arrive in two days for their series at the end of the month. Overnight, Australia announced a 26-man training squad for a white-ball series that is yet to be confirmed in September. Cricket Australia have been understandably jumpy about sending their players to this Covid hotspot. What must they be thinking now?

On a purely cricketing level, Archer — who only five days ago reminded everyone quite how good he is — has let his team-mates down at a crucial moment. They will miss him badly on a pitch that was expected to suit him.

This is a hugely taxing time for players and staff, away from family for weeks, with no escape from the game; indeed, when they draw back their curtains each morning, the first thing they see is the pitch. The trouble is, everyone else has understood the gravity of the situation, and managed to do the right thing.