'It is naive and silly' - Nasser Hussain slams Jofra Archer for breaking bio-secure protocol

Former England Captain and reputed cricket commentator Nasser Hussain has slammed Jofra Archer after the pacer broke coronavirus protocols that led to him being dropped from the squad for 2nd Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford.

Archer was named in the 13-man squad for the 2nd Test of the three-match Test series against West Indies. James Anderson and Mark Wood have been rested for the same and Archer had to play a key role in assisting England’s pace attack. However, the speedster will not be allowed to play now because of his ‘naive’ and ‘silly’ actions as termed by Nasser Hussain.

Jofra Archer has stopped by his home at Brighton during his journey from Southampton to Old Trafford after the first Test defeat, thus breaking the England and Wales cricket board’s (ECB) bio-secure protocols. He will have to undergo two COVID-19 tests during a five-day isolation period before returning to reunite with his teammates.

This is a serious illness and you cannot risk infecting anyone: Nasser Hussain

The first Test was played under all sorts of precautions with players using hand sanitizers and social distancing while celebrating wickets. In this pandemic situation, even a small mistake could really put everyone in danger and the former captain is not at all pleased with Jofra’s actions.

“It is naive and silly to get it wrong because of the effort that’s gone in, and the health risk – this is a serious illness and you cannot risk infecting anyone,” Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports.

“We don’t know if it was just a naivety from Jofra or if it was something more serious. He has apologized, it is a very unusual situation that we all find ourselves in and he’s made a mistake,” he further added. 

Archer volunteered an apology for breaching the rules and admitted to having put his and others’ lives at risk. He said he was deeply saddened to be left out of the squad for the 2nd Test.

Meanwhile, Hussain said England captain Joe Root will be discouraged with Archer’s actions adding, “His team-mates will be disappointed, as well his captain.”

He forsook by saying that cricketers move on very quickly and Captain Joe Root should go past this incident leaving it with the management and focus on the game. Several other cricketers also were not very pleased with Jofra’s actions, describing the incident as ‘lack of responsibility’.