The third edition of The Hundred kicked off on August 1 with a doubleheader as the Southern Brave visited Nottingham to take on the Trent Rockets in the opening matches of both the men's and women's tournaments. The headlines were grabbed in the women's match by Smriti Mandhana, who continued her excellent record in the tournament with a half-century at the top of the order. But while the game was highlighted by Mandhana's brilliance, it was also marred by a moment of controversy, leaving fans enraged.
Midway through the Brave innings innings, a pitch side interview of Australian all-rounder Maitlan Brown took place with her team reaching 79/1. However, a comment made by the male interviewer during the chat with Brown led to some strong criticism online.
The Aussie was first asked by the interviewer, "Maitlan, I know you're a batsman, but it would be quite nice to sit there without the pads on and see the powerplay tick over." The interviewer got into hot water for his use of the term 'batsman', which has become outdated and was suggested by the MCC to be replaced by a gender-neutral term 'batter' for reference by the broadcasters.
However, it paled in comparison to what transpired next. The interviewer then committed made a grave error of judgement during the interview, which in particular has seen several questions been raised of the broadcaster. Brown was asked about the dynamics of the team heading into the new season and how the time in training camp has been amongst the group so far, to which the Aussie replied: "We got together a few days ago in Southampton, and it was really nice to get together as a group. We played a practice game, and we also went and watched Barbie the other night all together for a bit of team-bonding. The group is gelling really well together."
Brown then referenced the newly-released film 'Barbie' that recently hit theatres around the world, and how it allowed for the team to spend time together. However, her answer was met with a response by the interviewer which many saw as inappropriate, unprofessional, and over-the-line. "You're a little Barbie yourself… aren't you, with your blue eyes?"
{{/usCountry}}Brown then referenced the newly-released film 'Barbie' that recently hit theatres around the world, and how it allowed for the team to spend time together. However, her answer was met with a response by the interviewer which many saw as inappropriate, unprofessional, and over-the-line. "You're a little Barbie yourself… aren't you, with your blue eyes?"
{{/usCountry}}Who was the interviewer and what were the repercussions?
The interviewer in question in Chris Hughes, a former Love Island (the reality show) contestant, surprisingly picked to conduct the chat. Even though Brown responded with a laugh, the remark received plenty of backlash from fans who felt that such comments make it difficult for women's cricket to grow in the public sphere, which The Hundred has tried to platform ever since its inception as a tournament was meant to appeal to a diverse audience.
A BBC spokesperson later commented on the matter, stating the broadcasting company had spoken to the interviewer and "explained that his comment was not appropriate." The interviewer himself has not yet made a public comment on the matter.
Southern Brave reached the finals of the first two editions of the women's tournament but lost on both occasions to the Oval Invincibles. Their bid to go one better this year began with a victory in the opening match of the tournament, winning by 27 runs after a strong score of 157 in the first innings, as the Trent Rocket including Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur failed to haul down the total in their chase.