England captain Root backs Archer to overcome controversy and hit back against the West Indies

Joe Root recalled the curious affair of his brush with David Warner in a Birmingham bar while wearing a fake beard to offer Jofra Archer encouragement that he can overcome the worst week of his career and hit back against West Indies.

It was seven years ago that a young, cheeky Root was on the receiving end of a late-night punch from Australia’s Mr Angry that led to unwelcome headlines and a rare bump in his otherwise smooth journey to the very top of the game.

Now the England captain wants another special talent in Archer to forget his own Warner moment in the form of a ‘suspension’ for breaching bio-secure regulations that, as revealed in his Sportsmail column, clearly hit him far harder than first imagined.

England fast bowler Jofra Archer takes part in a net session at Old Trafford on Thursday

‘I see a guy who has had to deal with a lot in a short space of time,’ said Root after talks with Archer to ensure he was in the right frame of mind to play in Friday’s Wisden Trophy decider at Emirates Old Trafford.

‘You look at other guys who have been through similar things. I had to go through the David Warner incident and Ben Stokes has been through a hell of a lot off the field. Those experiences mean you can sympathise.

‘There will be anger, frustration and disappointment for Jofra. But he needs to know he doesn’t have to deal with it on his own. He’s got good people around him who want him to be happy and to enjoy his cricket and life away from the sport. The more he knows that and the more we can help the better.’

Joe Root showed his support for Archer by recalling his infamous clash with David Warner

Archer’s revelation in Sportsmail on Wednesday that he had suffered racial abuse on social media rightly attracted most attention and condemnation. But it was the crux of his column that perhaps might concern England as they continue to learn more about this highly gifted fast bowler who has only been in their midst for just over a year.

For Archer did appear to feel hard done-by in his treatment by England after a breach of regulations that could have had huge ramifications for the game and also displayed a sensitivity to cricketing criticism that goes with the turf at this level. Certainly there did not seem to be too much of the ‘remorse’ we were assured he was feeling.

But the message from the England camp this week is that they are very much behind Archer and they do seem prepared to leave out bowlers who played their part in the series-levelling second Test in Chris Woakes and Sam Curran to accommodate him today.

‘One of the hardest things about coming into international cricket is the extra scrutiny,’ acknowledged Root. ‘In county cricket you just have feedback or a highlights package but then you go into a world where a load of ex pros start picking apart your technique or questioning your attitude and effort. It can be a difficult thing to manage.’

Australian batsman David Warner admitted punching Root in a bar before the 2013 Ashes

There is no question that the harshest comments. – and the ‘disgusting’ abuse that Root talked of on Thursday – come from social media. Sir Alastair Cook famously eschewed the volatile world of Twitter because, as he so aptly put it, ‘why would you invite someone into your front room to shout at you?’

Maybe Archer should do the same, as he suggested he might in his column? ‘Jofra has grown up with social media and it would be a big change and a bit unfair to ask him to put it to one side,’ said Root.

‘He’ll have to learn to deal with the scrutiny and understand it won’t go away but there have been times where criticism has motivated him to put in good performances. So the challenge is to use it in a positive way and sift out the stuff he doesn’t want to see.’

Having convinced themselves Archer is ready to go, England’s biggest headache could come from the complications that will arise if their man of the moment in Stokes is not fit to bowl because of a thigh injury.

Stokes is now one of the best batsmen in the world, as he showed so spectacularly here in Manchester in the second Test, so he can comfortably demand a place on that alone. But England’s balance goes awry when he cannot bowl.

England face selection a dilemma amid concerns over Ben Stokes’ thigh injury

Root suggested England could go with ‘three seamers and a spinner’ and hope Stokes is fit enough to bowl in the second innings but the worry is Dom Bess does not yet possess the control that allowed Graeme Swann to operate in a four-man attack.

That means Curran, who has been on the winning side in each of his eight home Test appearances, could come in for Bess with the captain providing spin. Or, if England really are feeling radical, they could leave out Zak Crawley, bat Stokes at three and bring in Curran as a fourth seamer. Root said the decision would not be made until this morning.

West Indies captain Jason Holder, who backed his old friend Archer so eloquently in his own Sportsmail column, must decide whether he can possibly risk the same attack for a third back to back to back Test in a hugely important game.

One West Indies change may see the introduction of the giant off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall – all 6ft 5in and 22 stones of him – with Holder saying yesterday: ‘There’s no doubt to me he would be the best spinner on show in this series.’

In the name of larger men everywhere it would be wonderful to see Cornwall included. But for England the priority is seeing a happy and firing Archer again.