Jofra Archer has been cleared to play in the Final Test of the series against the West Indies despite violating biosecurity protocols after the first Test.
Archer was removed from the team for the second test in Manchester after it was discovered that he had made an unauthorized visit to his Brighton home after leaving Southampton. Ashley Giles, managing director of men’s cricket for England, said the rape “could have been a disaster” that cost English cricket “tens of millions of pounds.”
But a disciplinary hearing chaired by Giles ended with Archer’s fine, estimated to be around £ 15,000, the value of his party’s fee for the second Test, and an official written warning.
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The relatively lenient penalty reflects Archer’s past good record, remorse, and acceptance that his actions were foolish rather than an intentional violation of protocol. The audience was also remotely attended by Archer’s agent Tom Harwood, a representative of the Association of Professional Cricketers, and John Carr, the director of Cricket Operations for England at the ECB.
Archer has been forced into isolation in his hotel room at Emirates Old Trafford since the details of his trip came to light. He has already had a Covid-19 test, which was negative, and will have another one on Monday. If that is also negative, he will be reinstated to the team on Tuesday. The individual he saw in Brighton has also tested negative for the virus since the incident. ESPNcricinfo understands that the individual was not Archer’s neighbor and Sussex teammate Chris Jordan.
The England team have been keen to join Archer in the past few days. While he hasn’t had any face-to-face contact, WhatsApp has kept in touch at night (players don’t have access to their phones during the day in accordance with anti-corruption protocols) and several team members have played computer games with he.
It is understood that the team’s management is considering Archer exercising in the Emirates Old Trafford outfield after the game closes to ensure he can maintain his fitness.
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