England speedster Jofra Archer has been fined and given a written warning after breaching the team’s bio-secure protocols for their ongoing Test series against the West Indies. The same has been confirmed in a statement by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Saturday.

The Board said that the decision was taken at a meeting headed by ECB’s director of Cricket Ashley Giles and included a representative from the Professional Cricketers’ Association and Archer’s agent.

“Following a disciplinary hearing held on Friday evening, 17 July, England cricketer Jofra Archer has been fined an undisclosed amount and received an official written warning after admitting to breaching the team’s bio-secure protocols on Monday 13 July when he made an unauthorised visit to his home in Hove,” said the ECB in its statement.

Notably, Archer was not picked in England’s squad for the ongoing second Test of the #raisethebatseries against West Indies at Old Trafford.

“He will undergo two COVID-19 tests in this period, which have to test negative before his self-isolation period is lifted. He is due to rejoin the rest of the squad on Tuesday 21 July,” said the ECB.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes had earlier called for the team management to support pacer Archer.

“For us as players, and as the England cricket group, this is a time where our way of operation really needs to come through,” Stokes, who scored 176 to guide England to 469 for 9 declared in their first innings of the ongoing second Test, was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. (via IANS)

“We really need to be there to support Jofra right now, because obviously he’s a big talking point, and he is by himself because of everything else going on at the moment.

“But it’s about making sure that he doesn’t feel like he’s by himself,” he added. “The worst thing that we can do right now, as a team, is to just leave him and say ‘see you in five, six days’ time.

“Times like these for people are very, very tough. You can feel like you are all by yourself, but I don’t think anybody is going to allow that to happen. Jofra is a massive part of this group, as everybody is. If it was anybody else like Jofra, it would be exactly the same way of handling as a team,” he concluded.