The cricket community was left stunned when English television personality Chris Hughes made a bold attempt to flirt with Australian woman cricketer Maitlan Brown. The incident occurred during England’s The Hundred tournament when Hughes went overboard with his compliments towards the female cricketer in an unconventional manner.
The drama unfolded during the opening game of The Hundred, where Chris Hughes was assigned to conduct sideline interviews. Initially discussing the game with Maitlan Brown, the interview took an unexpected turn. The 26-year-old cricketer spoke about her team, Southern Brave, and their bonding activities.
Maitlan Brown highlighted the significance of team bonding in franchise cricket leagues, sharing an amusing anecdote about the team watching the movie “Barbie” together. She emphasized how this bonding played a crucial role in the team’s success and how quickly they gelled as a group.
However, Chris Hughes made an inappropriate and surprising remark in response. He referred to Maitlan as a “little Barbie” with her blue eyes, leading to laughter from Brown and an uncomfortable situation. His comment sparked outrage on social media, with netizens condemning his behavior.
The absolute state of this @BBCSport
— Always Look On The Bright Cider Life 🍎🏏🍎🏏🍎 (@somersetpodcast) August 1, 2023
"Batsman"
"You're a bit of a Barbie yourself"
So much great young journalistic cricket talent in the UK, and you hire that clown @chrishughes_22, because demographics, innit pic.twitter.com/f7FwAtQjR9
Following the incident, the BBC spokesperson addressed the matter and warned Chris Hughes about the inappropriateness of his remark, making it clear that such comments are not acceptable.