Jofra Archer made a disappointing revelation that he has been a subject of racial abuse over social media since the news of him breaching the bio-secure protocols put in place to ensure players' safety during the ongoing England-West Indies Test series amid COVID-19 pandemic.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Archer, who has previously also faced prejudice on the basis of his colour during the tour of New Zealand in November 2019, said he has had enough and will be taking the matter to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
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"Some of the abuse I have taken over the past few days on Instagram has been racist and I have decided enough is enough," the pacer wrote. "I will not allow anything to pass, so I have forwarded my complaints to the ECB and that will go through the correct process."
"Since Wilfried Zaha, the Crystal Palace footballer, was abused by a 12-year-old online I drew a line and I will not allow anything to pass, so I have forwarded on my complaints to the ECB and that will go through the correct process."
Despairingly, Archer faced racial abuse when there is 'Black Lives Matter' movement going on. The global campaign that started with the murder of an Afro-American, George Floyd, after being kneeled on the neck in the custody of a white policeman in the USA, is aimed to educate people and spread more awareness regarding the need to eradicate racism from the deep roots of the society.
Archer, who had reportedly gone home between the first and the second Test, was fined by the ECB and asked to go into isolation for five days, with it made necessary that he test negative of Coronavirus contraction twice before he could rejoin the side for the third Test, which he did.
"Yes, I made a mistake in not driving to Old Trafford directly from Southampton between matches. But people make mistakes," he wrote.
"I know what I did was an error of judgement and I have suffered the consequences of that. I accept I put the other guys at risk. I did not follow the advice and therefore apologised to my team-mates, to the West Indies team and to everyone involved in the series. But I haven't committed a crime and I want to start feeling myself again."
On his return to the nets, Archer said he initially struggled to find motivation, owing to the scrutiny that had followed his mistake.
"I found I was struggling for motivation in the circumstances when it came to returning to bowling in the nets. When I walked outside of my room for the first time since being placed into self-isolation for breaking the Covid-19 protocols, I heard the cameras clicking with every single step I took," he said.
"The whole spectacle made me feel uneasy. I know what I did was an error of judgement and I have suffered the consequences of that."
"I spoke briefly to the doctor about how I'm feeling and also to Ben Stokes on Monday night. Ben tried to advise me on how to deal with being in the spotlight of international sport. He vowed to back me and support me. Now, I need to be 100 per cent mentally right so that I can throw myself into my cricket this week," Archer concluded.
