Jofra Archer was in the middle of a Test; he shouldn't have replied: Tino Best
West Indian fast bowler Tino Best recently addressed his Twitter feud with English pacer Jofra Archer and stated that the incident was blown out of proportion. The 38-year-old also said that since Archer was in the middle of a Test match, he shouldn't have replied.
After Best questioned Jofra Archer's intensity in the recently-concluded 1st Test against the West Indies, the Englishman lashed out at him on Twitter, asking why he wasn't a coach yet.
Tino Best has now affirmed that the spat was purely impersonal and that he merely pointed out that the bowler, incidentally also of Barbadian descent, wasn't anywhere near his best.
"The whole Jofra Archer thing was just blown out of proportion. To be honest, when I tweeted, it was only about the way he was bowling in the first innings. He didn't put in as much effort as I saw from Mark Wood and Jimmy Anderson. I thought he was just going through the motions a little bit," Best said.
"I am here in Barbados, I didn't expect him to reply. My first tweet was that he was bowling military medium, and that he can bowl faster than that. You've got Wood who was absolutely steaming in every ball, and then you've got him (Archer) a little lethargic in his approach, " he continued.
Tino Best added that he wasn't trying to disrespect Jofra Archer in any way, and that he realised with age that he has to pick and choose his battles.
"He then replied saying I should be a coach, so I asked him not to attack me personally. I wasn't trying to disrespect him in any way. But he was in the middle of a Test match, and I don't think he should have replied. The older you get, you realise that you can't fight every battle," the West Indian quick added.
'God bless him' - Best backs Jofra Archer to come back stronger
The last week or so hasn't been kind to Jofra Archer. After his team suffered a 4-wicket loss to West Indies in the 1st Test at Southampton, the 25-year-old violated COVID-19 protocols on his way to Manchester, the venue for the ongoing 2nd Test.
Best cleared the air surrounding his feud with the pacer, and wished him the best of health and success.
"I really admire him, he's a big talent. Everything that has happened to him since is unfortunate. God bless him and bless his family. He can come back from this and be a great cricketer, and show the world what he can do once again," he said.
After being fined and warned by the England Cricket Board, Jofra Archer was cleared to play the final Test of the 3-match series. But, with rain hampering England's chances in the ongoing match, the series might be out of their reach by the time Jofra Archer returns.