Chris Hughes has been warned by the BBC after making an inappropriate comment while interviewing cricketer Maitlan Brown as a presenter for The Hundred.
Brown, an Australian all-rounder who plays for Southern Brave, was speaking to the former Love Island contestant when he made two key errors.
At first, he referred to the female players as ‘batsmen’ in contrast to the BBC’s style of using the gender-neutral term ‘batter’.
Then when asking about how the team had bonded ahead of the tournament, Brown said: “We watched Barbie the other night, all together and it was really good team bonding and the group is gelling really well together.
“That is the key to success, I think, in tournaments like this: how well and how quickly you can gel as a group.”
But it was what the presenter said next that has caused controversy, when Hughes replied saying: “You’re a little Barbie yourself aren’t you, with your blue eyes.”
When Brown laughed, Hughes added: “She’s blushing now.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “We have spoken to Chris and explained that his comment was not appropriate”.
It has been widely condemned on social media.
It was not the first time cricket has been in a similar position, and West Indian all-rounder Chris Gayle found himself in a similar controversy after his comments during an interview with Mel McLaughlin in the Big Bash seven years ago.
