The 25-year-old was omitted from England’s side which won the Second Test by 113 runs at Old Trafford, thanks to Ben Stokes’ heroics.
Archer’s omission came after he had to enter self isolation for five days after visiting his Hove apartment en route to Manchester for the Second Test when players, coaches and officials within the biosecure bubble were not permitted to.
Archer wrote in his The Daily Mail column that he didn’t realise his indiscretion was a big deal and felt he’d been treated by a criminal since.
“We knew we had to go to Manchester via certain points. I didn’t,” Archer wrote.
“To me, home is home. A safe place. I picked some stuff up, dropped some stuff off. It was no big deal.”
He continued: “This whole week has been extremely tough and to spend five days in isolation has given me a lot of thinking time on where I am at.
“To be stuck in a hotel room in Manchester was hard. You know you cannot focus on the game being played on the other side of the bedroom curtains and it was frustrating not being able make an impact on the field.
“I found I was struggling for motivation in the circumstances when it came to returning to bowling in the nets.
“When I walked outside of my room for the first time since being placed into self-isolation I heard the cameras clicking with every single step I took.
“The whole spectacle made me feel uneasy I haven’t committed a crime and I want to start feeling myself again.”
The Barbados-born quick has been tested twice for COVID-19 but has returned two negative tests. He’s since left self isolation and returned to solitary training.
His inclusion for the Third Test against the West Indies starting in Manchester on Friday remains up in the air, but he is available and England have been keen to rotate their bowlers given their taxing schedule.