The fan responsible for racially abusing England cricketer Jofra Archer at Tauranga's Bay Oval late last year has been banned from attending cricket matches in New Zealand for two years.
Archer was targeted by racial abuse on the final day of the first Test between England and New Zealand in November, eventuating in a complaint being laid with Tauranga police.
As a result of their inquiries, police have spoken to a 28-year-old Auckland man who subsequently admitted responsibility for the abuse. He was issued with a verbal warning for using insulting language.
New Zealand Cricket said in a statement this morning they have also reached out to the supporter and informed him he has been banned from all cricket fixtures - both international and domestic - in New Zealand until 2022.
It's a step down from the lifetime ban being proposed last year but NZC spokesman Anthony Crummy said if the man breached the conditions of his ban and attended a fixture he would be removed from the venue and could become subject to further police action.
“We’d again like to extend our apologies to Jofra and the England team management for such an unsavoury incident and reiterate once more that this type of behaviour is completely unacceptable," Crummy said.
Crummy added NZC would continue to treat offensive language and/or behaviour seriously, with anti-racist messages posted on signs around the grounds, on the big screen, and delivered by ground-announcers.
"We want to thank the NZ Police for their efforts in identifying the person responsible, and for making it clear that this type of behaviour will not be minimised."
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