The cricket world has been left stunned by a bizarre interview during England’s controversial The Hundred event.
Former Love Island contestant Chris Hughes, strangely selected to conduct sideline interviews during the women’s tournament, has come under fire for his chat with Australian cricketer Maitlan Brown.
The cringe-worthy chat saw Hughes providing plenty of posivitity but then getting sidetracked when Brown mentioned what her side the Southern Brave had been up to.
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“We watched Barbie the other night altogether and it was really good team bonding and the group is gelling really well together,” she said.
“That is the key to success I think in tournaments like this, how well and how quickly you can gel as a group.”
Hughes quipped in response: “You’re a little Barbie yourself innit with your blue eyes”, prompting an awkward laugh from Brown.
“She’s blushing now,” he added, reminding fans of the awful Chris Gayle “don’t blush baby” moment during the Big Bash.
Hughes’ archaic quip didn’t go down well with cricket fans.
One said: “Not sure interviewing Maitlin Brown needed to include “you’re a bit of a barbie too with your blue eyes” did it.
Another responded: “Had to rewind to check I’d heard it right. Took a while to go back a few decades but yep, there it was.”
CODE Sports’ Lachlan McKirdy tweeted: “Yikes. Really though we were well past interviews like this.”
Per ESPN’s Matt Roller, a BBC spokesperson said: “We have spoken to Chris and explained that his comment was not appropriate.”
Brown, for what it’s worth, is an established star with plenty of success at WBBL level, and was a member of the Australian squad in 2020 and 2021.
Originally published as ‘You’re a little Barbie yourself’: Cricket world stunned by cringe-worthy chat with Aussie