Moeen Ali Backs Jofra Archer on Racism
Photo: Collected
|| CF Desk ||
England all-rounder Moeen Ali has backed Jofra Archer, citing that no one should have to tolerate racism. However, Jofra Archer was excluded from the England side for the second Test against West Indies in Manchester after it was found that he had broken bio-security protocols.
Although Archer apologised for his wrong-doing and gave a fine, after which he said that he faced racist attacks on social media. However, Moeen Ali said that he saw some of the messages, which he referred to as 'absolutely horrendous'.
"Jof is a good friend of mine and even though we speak a lot, it was tough to read he was struggling a bit during that period. My advice is always that tough times pass and are followed by calm, during which you can reflect and learn. And it has been a rollercoaster 12 months for him," Moeen Ali wrote in the Guardian.
"He is a very active person on social media and while I moved away from it a while back, I would never tell anyone to do the same. But it has to be said, I have seen some of the messages he has received and they are absolutely horrendous,” he further added.
He shared, "This isn’t about being thick-skinned. No one should have to tolerate racism. And I think people need calling out here. Maybe they should make it mandatory that social media accounts have names and faces on them. We should know who is saying these things."
Meanwhile, the England speedster has been criticised for not bowling at full-tilt during some of his spells, but Moeen Ali said that people who criticise players hardly know about the game. Moeen further added that Archer is only nine Tests old into his international career and already has three five-wicket hauls in his kitty. He will have grown and grown into the longest format of the game as well.
