England cricketer Jofra Archer has revealed he received racist abuse on social media following his breach of pandemic protocols earlier this month.
The 25-year-old was removed from the squad on the eve of the second Test after it emerged he had breached his side's bio-secure bubble with an unauthorised trip to his flat in Hove.
He was placed in five days of isolation at Emirates Old Trafford's on-site hotel, allowed out only for carefully controlled solitary fitness work, and later fined around £15,000 at a disciplinary hearing for his transgression.
Having come into contact with an unnamed individual during his detour, the Archer then needed to get two negative Covid-19 tests before being allowed to return to the playing group.
He officially got the green light to return on Tuesday morning but revealed the breach had made him a target for abuse online.
"Take two wickets and everyone is back on the bandwagon again. It's a fickle, fickle world we live in. Some of the abuse I have taken over the past few days on Instagram has been racist and I have decided that enough is enough," he wrote in the Daily Mail.
"Since Wilfried Zaha (below), 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 my complaints to the ECB and that will go through the correct process.
"Yes, I made a mistake in not driving to Old Trafford directly from Southampton between matches. But people make mistakes."
Archer also revealed the mental toll of the online criticism, combined with his time in isolation, has left him concerned he might not be "100 per cent mentally right" in time for the Third test, which begins on Friday.
He added: "This whole week has been extremely tough and to spend five days in isolation has given me a lot of thinking time on where I am at.
"I give 100 per cent every time I go out there and I don't want to go out on the field unless I can guarantee doing that.
"Now I have done my time, it's over, and I am trying to move on.
"I know what I did was an error of judgement and I have suffered the consequences of that. I haven't committed a crime and I want to start feeling myself again."
Additional reporting by PA
