Shane Warne was accused of racism while commentating on Australia’s Test match against India on Thursday.
The former Austria bowler called India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara “Steve” as the first Test of the series played out at the Adelaide Oval, referring to a nickname given to Pujara when the 32-year-old played for Yorkshire.
Azeem Rafiq filed a legal complaint against Yorkshire, his former club, this week, alleging racism and discrimination. It is reported that players at Yorkshire called every person of colour “Steve”, because they found their names difficult to pronounce.
“Even Cheteshwar Pujara, who joined as an overseas professional, was called ‘Steve’, because they could not pronounce his name,” former club employee Taj Butt told Sky Sports.
Some viewers took to social media to hit out at Warne for his behaviour, labelling it “racist”.
“Referring to Pujara as ‘Steve’ is: a) unprofessional b) disrespectful c) racist. Learn to say his name,” wrote one user.
Another cited Butt’s comments, writing: “Hey@ShaneWarne, the story behind the ‘Steve’ nickname for Pujara. ‘They called every person of colour Steve. Even [India batsman] Cheteshwar Pujara, who joined as an overseas professional, was called Steve because they could not pronounce his name.’ This is as of Dec 2020.”
Another tweet read: “The racism row engulfing Yorkshire confirmed that every subcontinental guy, be it a Janitor or a cricketer is a ‘Steve’ at that club, because they can’t spell Asian names. Yet Shane Warne decides to use the racist tag on a broadcast watched by millions worldwide. Disgusting!!”
