JOFRA Archer is part of England’s 14-man squad for the final game of a three-Test series against the West Indies.
Both teams are level which means whoever wins this one will take the series, with the Windies looking for a historic win on English soil since 1988.
Archer was left out of the second test after he breached the corona virus bio-secure protocols, an allegation he admitted to.
The pace bowler wrote in the Daily Mail that he suffered racial abuse on Instagram and withdrew from social media because it was “unnecessary noise”.
During the pre-match press conference on Wednesday, assistant West Indies coach, Roddy Estwick told Archer to “lay low, focus on the game and on people you can trust.”
Estwick said, “It’s obviously disappointing to hear a player being racially abused but it does happen.”
Archer however is competing against James Anderson, Mark Woods, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Sam Curran for a place in the final eleven.
As for the West Indies, Jason Holder said they had not yet made a decision on their 11, preferring to wait and see the pitch.
Questions were raised about the fitness of Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph but Holder said, “These guys have backed up Test matches before. So yeah, I’m not too worried.”
Hoping for this historic win, the Windies captain said he wanted the players to improve their efforts in the field and the batsmen to convert their five fifties into a century.
Holder said, “We’re slowly but surely getting there, in terms of what this team can produce. And I have full confidence in this team to turn things around for West Indies cricket. So it’s just a matter for us to stick together, continue to learn, and grasp those opportunities in different countries around the world.”
Friday’s match will be played at the Old Trafford in Manchester.
