HOW are the ECB allowed to brush this Jofra Archer incident under the carpet?

[Forum363]

I am sorry, but am I missing something here?

I am genuinely still incredibly shocked as to the events off the past few days and the reports coming out from the English Camp.

So ECB allow players to travel in their own cars with no means of tracking players or monitoring their activities.

After months of covid, where everyone including small children are accustomed to the rules - a 25 year old international sportsman decides to nip home and visit a friend for over an hour. In the middle of two tours where close to a hundred people have travelled thousands of miles across the world away from family and friends - to come to the second worst affected country in the world - where they are required to train and live under strict conditions to make the series happen. International sportsmen have to stay in 3 star travel lodges.

After Archer returns, he tells no one. So he CLEARLY acted on purpose. He rejoins and trains with other people without notifying them of his breach of the biosecure bubble. Later on, he accidentally mentions it in passing to a support staff member who reports it to management, who are forced to quarantine him as per the Law.

In the days that follow - we constantly hear about a very young man who is alone in his hotel room and how he made a mistake and we should all get behind him. It becomes clear that not only has Archer risked tens of millions of pounds but also endangered people’s lives. By taking a very conscious decision to go home and then hide it.

The disciplinary process goes ahead and they decide to ..... just fine him £15000!!!! That’s the equivalent of one match fee. The use the excuse that in his longggg (1 year) international career, he has not broken any other rules.

Amir was squeaky clean before the spot fixing allegations - he was sent to jail. Whether he was actually 17 or not, he was certainly younger than Archer. Smith was the perfect role model - but he was reduced to tears, humiliated and banned for ball tempering. Both of these offences were cricket related issues that bought the game into disrepute but unlike Archer they didn’t put peoples lives at risk.

So can someone please explain what is happening and why is ECB simply brushing this under the carpet? How is poor Archer suddenly the victim?

And then there are reports that the English players are tired and may be allowed to go home between the series...

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Are you from the UK? Trust me mate the whole place is a flipping shambles when it comes to handling Covid and the way the ECB have acted is very much in line with the way most authorities have behaved in handling the crisis.

We have learned that in the UK there is one rule for elites - politicians,sportsmen and advisors are able to get away with what they want. Secondly, profit comes before safety.

 

[sweep_shot]

England don't have many bowlers who can replace Archer at Test level. It is probably why they are giving him a pass.

 

[Forum363]

Are you from the UK? Trust me mate the whole place is a flipping shambles when it comes to handling Covid and the way the ECB have acted is very much in line with the way most authorities have behaved in handling the crisis.

We have learned that in the UK there is one rule for elites - politicians,sportsmen and advisors are able to get away with what they want. Secondly, profit comes before safety.

Yes I am.

And I’m in London, using the tube etc so I get it. I’m taking the risk and accepting it for my own job etc.

However - the general public and an international cricket team are very different. If that’s not the case then why are the Pakistan and West Indies team being kept to such a strict regime?

 

[Forum363]

England don't have many bowlers who can replace Archer at Test level. It is probably why they are giving him a pass.

Amir is the greatest talent we’ve had (lost) for two decades.

Smith is an ATG already and he’s got tears left.

Archer is a nobody compared to them.

 

[hitthestump]

Jofra was name and shamed, dropped from the 2nd test, confined to his hotel room for 5 days and wasn't allowed out until he tested negative.

Aside from beating him with a stick, what else were the ECB supposed to do?

 

[Forum363]

Jofra was name and shamed, dropped from the 2nd test, confined to his hotel room for 5 days and wasn't allowed out until he tested negative.

Aside from beating him with a stick, what else were the ECB supposed to do?

All silly points I’m sorry. He was named because they had to drop him from the team. He was dropped and confined to his room because that’s the regulations, not because they were punishing him. They didn’t ban him from the game as a disciplinary measure.

That’s like saying someone drink drives and crashes into a tree. You would stand in court as his lawyer and say - ‘His name was in the local paper and it was incredibly embarrassing. Oh and he ruined his car, hurt his neck and had to spend 5 days in hospital. So as a result he shouldn’t be punished for breaking the law / rules’.

Surely you realise how ridiculous that logic is, right? You shouldn’t punish someone for something they do wrong if there are direct negative consequences to them?

 

[Forum363]

The ONLY punishment that Jofra has received for his actions is a ONE MATCH-FEE fine. One match.

 

[angrypathan]

Should have at least been dropped for the 3rd test match. Unfortunately England are far too worried about losing a home series to WI than upholding high standards of discipline

 

[Robert]

Archer didn’t break the law. He acted foolishly in a way that endangered both teams and ECB business. So he was fined and warned by his employer. All seems appropriate to me.

 

[MMHS]

I don’t think ECB could have done more. They must have a pre set protocol and standard punishment (s) for breaking the protocol, upon which they acted. For the sake of saying, had ECB gone for tougher stand than the preset regulations - what if Archer takes them to Court?

 

[Forum363]

Archer didn’t break the law. He acted foolishly in a way that endangered both teams and ECB business. So he was fined and warned by his employer. All seems appropriate to me.

Smith didnt break the law. But what he did brought the game into disrepute and was embarassing.

Jofra is considerably worse. He put not only tens of millions of pounds at risk, but also peoples lives. Not to mention the insult to all the people quarantining and staying away from their families.

 

[Forum363]

I don’t think ECB could have done more. They must have a pre set protocol and standard punishment (s) for breaking the protocol, upon which they acted. For the sake of saying, had ECB gone for tougher stand than the preset regulations - what if Archer takes them to Court?

This is the equivalent of breaking a serious safety regulation set by your employer. If I work as a builder and come to work drunk, continue to access machinery etc without notifying anyone - the employer has full disclosure to permanently end my employement or put be on probation etc.

The ECB's hands were not tied. They CHOSE to let Archer get away with it, with just a minor fine.

Are you really saying Archer would have taken them to court if he was banned for 6 months?

 

[Robert]

Smith didnt break the law. But what he did brought the game into disrepute and was embarassing.

Jofra is considerably worse. He put not only tens of millions of pounds at risk, but also peoples lives. Not to mention the insult to all the people quarantining and staying away from their families.

I did not suggest that Smith broke the law. He works for CA. Archer works for ECB. Different boards, different nations, different disciplinary procedures.

 

[Bhaijaan]

For what Archer did, he should be banned from Cricket for two years, his English citizenship should be revoked and the world cup trophy should be returned to New Zealand with immediate effect.

This is my verdict as an internet analyst and custodian of the game's integrity.

 

[Forum363]

For what Archer did, he should be banned from Cricket for two years, his English citizenship should be revoked and the world cup trophy should be returned to New Zealand with immediate effect.

This is my verdict as an internet analyst and custodian of the game's integrity.

Great sarcasm, thank you for the contribution ‘bhaijaan’.

 

[Forum363]

I did not suggest that Smith broke the law. He works for CA. Archer works for ECB. Different boards, different nations, different disciplinary procedures.

Fair enough.

But there has to be an element of consistency to how the boards deal with issues. Players like Amir and Smith and Warner have been banned but Archer is getting away with it here, for arguably a greater crime.

 

[MMHS]

This is the equivalent of breaking a serious safety regulation set by your employer. If I work as a builder and come to work drunk, continue to access machinery etc without notifying anyone - the employer has full disclosure to permanently end my employement or put be on probation etc.

The ECB's hands were not tied. They CHOSE to let Archer get away with it, with just a minor fine.

Are you really saying Archer would have taken them to court if he was banned for 6 months?

As long as I am not aware of what was instructed to the players and the consequences (of breaching the instructions), I can’t comment on this. No, the employer can’t sack you for being drunk and using the machineries, unless it’s written in the contract that he’ll be sacked for such offence.

A drunk driver can kill several people, but for that they don’t hang him - you may say three demerit points, $200 fine and may be a week’s suspension is too little for an attempt to mass murder, but that’s Canadian law unfortunately. If I am caught for drunk driving and if the enthusiastic traffic police sentences me more than this, yes I’ll take him to court.

Jofra won’t take ECB to court for banning him a game of two; may be a little monitory fine as well; but yes - he will definitely take ECB to court had they banned him for a year and fined couple of million .....

 

[Saj]

He was named, he was fined, he was dropped for the 2nd Test match, so I think he got what he deserved.

However it does beg the question as to what would have happened if it was a West Indian player who had done the same thing.

 

[Forum363]

He was named, he was fined, he was dropped for the 2nd Test match, so I think he got what he deserved.

However it does beg the question as to what would have happened if it was a West Indian player who had done the same thing.

Named, fined and dropped. Only one of those was the ECB’s punishment. He had to go into quarantine, there was no option of playing him in the second game. His name would have got out anyway, especially as he was withdrawn on the morning.

So just being fined - and that too ONE match fee - is not nearly enough punishment for this. Surely you can see that Saj?

 

[Forum363]

As long as I am not aware of what was instructed to the players and the consequences (of breaching the instructions), I can’t comment on this. No, the employer can’t sack you for being drunk and using the machineries, unless it’s written in the contract that he’ll be sacked for such offence.

A drunk driver can kill several people, but for that they don’t hang him - you may say three demerit points, $200 fine and may be a week’s suspension is too little for an attempt to mass murder, but that’s Canadian law unfortunately. If I am caught for drunk driving and if the enthusiastic traffic police sentences me more than this, yes I’ll take him to court.

Jofra won’t take ECB to court for banning him a game of two; may be a little monitory fine as well; but yes - he will definitely take ECB to court had they banned him for a year and fined couple of million .....

Are you kidding? Being drunk constitutes misconduct and you can absolutely be fired for that!

I don’t know about Canadian law but to me $200 and a weeks ban seems far too light. In the UK you would get jail time and/or minimum of a year ban.

Jofra would have no standing in a court of law. He is required to follow the rules of his employer as long as they don’t breach his human rights. He broke the rules by leaving the biosecure bubble and especially not reporting it. ECB should have banned him.

 

[trickyone]

I personally think it was a 3-12 month banned offence but you have to go with what was the punishment set if there was any for breaking the protocol...

 

[Forum363]

I personally think it was a 3-12 month banned offence but you have to go with what was the punishment set if there was any for breaking the protocol...

I don’t think the ECB thought anyone would be stupid enough to just break the biosecure bubble with this much scrutiny, after months of an unprecedented pandemic. But Jofra just casually ignored all the preparation and casually drove home to see his mate for an hour and then rejoined the team without telling anyone.

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

He was named, he was fined, he was dropped for the 2nd Test match, so I think he got what he deserved.

However it does beg the question as to what would have happened if it was a West Indian player who had done the same thing.

I agree with the first sentence,

On the second, I'll add - god only knows what would have happened if it had been a Pakistani player. The net would have had a meltdown, the press would have had many field days, and to be fair I myself would have been among the ones expressing myself, 'freely and frankly'. That makes me think. So maybe he got away lightly.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He acted stupidly and was punished accordingly. He didn't cheat, bring the game into disrepute or break the law.

By your theory, every time you leave the house and come back you put the lives of your entire family at risk.

 

[Forum363]

He acted stupidly and was punished accordingly. He didn't cheat, bring the game into disrepute or break the law.

By your theory, every time you leave the house and come back you put the lives of your entire family at risk.

He did far worse than cheating. He broke some extremely stringent safety regulations and put both lives and money at risk while knowing CLEARLY the implications it could have.

Yes absolutely- I take that chance every time I leave the house. However my family are aware and we all agree on the risk. I am not an international sportsman part of a tight biosecure bubble with a 100 people who have agreed to travel across the world and be away from their family. I have not agreed to stay within that bubble and ensure I follow the rules exactly. I am legally allowed to go to work and use public transport if I wear a mask. I can go to a friend’s house for coffee. However Jofra is absolutely not allowed.

 

[Forum363]

I agree with the first sentence,

On the second, I'll add - god only knows what would have happened if it had been a Pakistani player. The net would have had a meltdown, the press would have had many field days, and to be fair I myself would have been among the ones expressing myself, 'freely and frankly'. That makes me think. So maybe he got away lightly.

Completely agree. The uproar in the media would have been something else. The player would have been trashed/ humiliated and then sent home - with further disciplinary to follow. The PCB would be in damage control, apologising to the ECB and broadcasters, then having the whole squad retested etc.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He did far worse than cheating. He broke some extremely stringent safety regulations and put both lives and money at risk while knowing CLEARLY the implications it could have.

Yes absolutely- I take that chance every time I leave the house. However my family are aware and we all agree on the risk. I am not an international sportsman part of a tight biosecure bubble with a 100 people who have agreed to travel across the world and be away from their family. I have not agreed to stay within that bubble and ensure I follow the rules exactly. I am legally allowed to go to work and use public transport if I wear a mask. I can go to a friend’s house for coffee. However Jofra is absolutely not allowed.

Hahaha are you serious? How is breaking stringent safety regulations worse than cheating? Do tell how many years you can potentially get banned for breaking these regulations?

You're overreacting. This is not a big deal. People have moved on. Jofra has learned his lesson and he will be playing the next test match. End of story.

 

[Robert]

Fair enough.

But there has to be an element of consistency to how the boards deal with issues. Players like Amir and Smith and Warner have been banned but Archer is getting away with it here, for arguably a greater crime.

There’s no unifying body. National cricket boards are not accountable to the ICC, and Archer didn’t break the Player’s Code of Conduct.

FWIW I thought Smith’s punishment was too hard. A three test ban and losing the captaincy would have seemed enough.