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Pat Cummins’ Instagram post leaves fans in a split; racist or misinterpreted joke?

Kashish Chadha

The Australian cricketer's social media post created a bit of furore amongst fans. 

A post on Instagram by Australian Test captain Pat Cummins has fans in a big split over social media, with some accusing the prominent fast-bowler of racism while others felt for him as his joke on a Sri Lankan security guard got misinterpreted. 

The post involved this security guard following Cummins’ teammate David Warner constantly on the field, so much so that he got deemed Warner’s “shadow” by the Aussie quick. 

But the joke got misunderstood after one of the fans on Twitter took a screengrab from the clip and others assumed Cummins’ remark was on the black shades of the individual involved. 

Later, another fan posted the entire clip of what Pat Cummins meant and a sense of realisation finally kicked in that the “shadow” joke was based on how the security guard had been following Warner, and not his shade. 

WATCH: Dasun Shanaka shares heartwarming video after incredible run chase in Pallekele

Pat Cummins’ “shadow” joke post gets misconstrued for racism 

Given the times, with cricket globally in a quest to fight racism and players leading the bandwagon to overcome societal barriers, the screengrab Pat Cummins’ post instantly grabbed the fans’ attention and attracted immediate criticism from a section. 

 
But the emergence of the entire clip afterwards clarified things on the issue and it became more apparent that the joke was never intended on the security guard’s shades; instead, it was about his duties following Warner around the field. 

 

The screengrab and the clip from the ground in Pallekele attracted mixed reactions over social media, while some also suggested Pat Cummins to issue a quick clarification on the matter. 

Here is how they reacted: 

 

 

 

Rested from the T20I series versus Sri Lanka after a super quick turnaround from his IPL 2022 duties with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Cummins begins his tour of the Island nation with a five-match ODI series, starting Tuesday (June 14).