Jofra Archer excluded from second England-West Indies Test after breaching bio-secure protocols

Jofra Archer has been excluded from the England squad for the second Test against the West Indies after breaching the bio-secure protocols in the lead-up to the game, a statement from the ECB has confirmed.

The 25-year-old was one of England’s top performers in the second innings of the first Test last week and he came up with three wickets for 45 runs while scoring 23 with his bat.

As a result, he was able to reclaim his spot in the 13-man squad released by the England and Wales Cricket Board yesterday, but it is now revealed that he won’t take any part in the second Test which starts today.

What contributed to the breach of the bio-secure protocols has not been specified, but Archer will go into self-isolation for five days and will undergo two COVID-19 tests during this period.

James Anderson and Mark Wood have already been rested for the second Test of the #raisethebat series and the absence of Archer will open up a place for another player in the squad.

Stuart Broad is expected to return to the mix after sitting on the bench last time around. Captain Joe Root, who is back in the squad after the birth of his child, may have to choose between Sam Curran, Chris Woakes and the uncapped Ollie Robinson for the remaining two bowling spots.

As such, England should have an entirely different pace attack from the first Test aside from Ben Stokes and it will be interesting whether they can help the team pull level in the series after the disappointing four-wicket defeat to the Windies at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

For the Old Trafford Test, the hosts have gone with minimal changes to the batting lineup. Kent batsman Joe Denly is the only batsman to miss out from the previous Test. He has been excluded from the 13-man squad following the availability of skipper Root.