Former Yorkshire pacer Jack Brooks sorry for calling Cheteshwar Pujara 'Steve'

Jack Brooks and Cheteshwar Pujara

Somerset seamer Jack Brooks on Thursday apologised to Cheteshwar Pujara for his role in nicknaming the India Test specialist Steve during his time at Yorkshire. Brooks - who joined Somerset in 2018 - also issued an apology for historical racist tweets (2012) as the controversy surrounding Azeem Rafiq's allegations of institutional racism against Yorkshire continued to haunt English cricket.

The emergence of two examples of Brooks using allegedly racist words in exchanges with England fast bowler Tymal Mills and Stewart Laudat, who played minor county cricket for Oxfordshire, led to Somerset investigating the allegations.

"With reference to my naming in Azeem Rafiq's statement to MPs this week, the use of the name Steve related to some people having difficult names to pronounce. When this has occurred in the past in a dressing room environment, it has been commonplace to give nicknames, regardless of creed or race," Brooks said in a statement that appeared on the Somerset club's website.

"I admit to having used it in this context and now accept that it was disrespectful and wrong to do so. I have reached out and apologised to Cheteshwar for any offence that I have caused him or his family. At the time I didn't recognise this as racist behaviour, but I can now see that it was not acceptable."

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