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Jofra Archer hails Moeen Ali’s support after racist abuse on social media

by Wisden Staff 2 minute read

Jofra Archer has hailed Moeen Ali for showing support towards the fast bowler after he received racist comments on social media, backing Moeen’s idea that the social media outlets shouldn’t allow users “to hide behind anonymous names and pictures”.

Archer was subjected to racist abuse after his exclusion from the England squad – for breaking the bio-secure protocol and taking a detour home after the Southampton Test – for the second Test of the recently-concluded three-match series against West Indies. The England pacer had to be placed on a five-day isolation and was tested negative twice for Covid-19, before being allowed to train with the rest of the squad.

Moeen Ali, in his column for The Guardian, had called for social media companies to employ stricter regulations. Archer, while thanking him for the support, backed his idea of not allowing users to stay anonymous, also revealing how the all-rounder helped in his smooth transition into the England squad when he first entered international cricket.

“It was nice to hear about a column Moeen Ali had written, in which he expressed his support for me over some of the treatment I’d received,” the England pacer wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.

“He’s a really good guy and he made my transition into the team a lot easier when I first played international cricket last year. It wasn’t anything he said in the dressing room that eased my way in. It was just his presence, which was very comforting. He’s that kind of a person and I’m pleased to see England have made him vice-captain for the one-day series against Ireland.

“Moeen also suggested that Twitter users shouldn’t be able to hide behind anonymous names and pictures, so they can’t get away with random abuse. It’s a nice idea and I do appreciate the thought from one of the game’s good guys. Hopefully, the social media companies will make this happen very soon.”

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