Published 18:17 IST, July 18th 2020
Jofra Archer fined with an undisclosed amount by ECB for breaching bio-secure protocols
Speedster Jofra Archer has been fined by the ECB with an undisclosed amount and also sent an official written warning for breaching bio-secure protocols
Speedster Jofra Archer has been fined by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with an undisclosed amount and also sent an official written warning for breaching the team's bio-secure protocols on July 13. The decision comes after a disciplinary hearing held on Friday which was chaired by ECB MD Ashley Giles. The young gun had breached the new bio-secure protocols just before the second test against the West Indies at the Old Trafford as he made an unauthorized visit to his home in Hove. Consequently, Archer was dropped from the squad for the second test.
Archer has faced severe backlash for breaking the bio-secure protocols as international cricket has resumed post the COVID-forced halt. The Barbados-born pacer is not under isolation for five days and will undergo two COVID-19 tests. He is set to join the squad on July 21, only if his test results are negative.
Archer faces backlash
Following his breach of protocols, former England skipper Michael Vaughan had opined that the pacer will not be able to play the third and final test against the Windies. “The fact that he was willing to go home and potentially threaten the series by bringing Covid-19 back into the bubble will mean that he is on the naughty step for a while, I am afraid. Realistically, it would be hard for him to play next week. I do not think they can bring him back in for the third test,” Vaughan wrote in ‘The Telegraph’.
ECB MD Ashley Giles went on to state that the breach could have been a disaster and might have ended up costing the board 'tens of millions of pounds'. On the other hand, ace all-rounder Ben Stokes stated that Jofra Archer needs full support of his teammates. "We really need to be there to support Jofra right now. Obviously he's a big talking point and he is by himself because of everything else going on at the moment," Stokes was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
Updated 18:17 IST, July 18th 2020