West Indies skipper Jason Holder on Tuesday (June 16) made it clear that Jofra Archer will be like any other English cricketer for them when the much-awaited Test series begins in Southampton on July 8.
Holder’s comment came just a day after West Indies pacer Kemar Roach warned Archer that he can expect "no friendships" during the three-Test series.
Jofra, born in Barbados and even represented West Indies U-19s, moved to England in 2016 and became eligible to play for the adopted country last year.
This will be the speedster's first battle with the fellow Caribbean mates in red-ball cricket.
"Archer is English now. I think Kemar Roach had an interview yesterday and he spoke about the same thing," Holder said on the show Good Morning Britain.
"You know we are friends off the field but when we cross that line you just see him as another Englishman. I am sure even he must be looking to knock our heads off."
The England-West Indies series will also mark the return of international cricket after the COVID-19 hiatus. The 25-member West Indies squad arrived in the UK on June 9 and they are currently serving the 14-day quarantine period in Manchester.
On a different note, racism has become a topic of global debate following the killing of George Floyd – a 46-year-old African-American, who died on May 25 in Minneapolis after Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on his neck for several minutes.
Asked about the ongoing worldwide protest against racism, Holder said the West Indies team is firmly behind the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.
"As a team we will show our solidarity to the movement. We had few discussions and come 8 July, we will show our support," he said.
"I've been following it quite closely and I've seen many opinions on the matter and what should be done and what can be done. It's a perfect opportunity to effect change. One of the things that stands out is unity. We need to unite and come together as one."
(With PTI inputs)
