Four match ban on Tom Curran upheld despite appeal from Sydney Sixers
Finally, after a lot of reports related to the ban of star England pacer Tom Curran’s suspension. However now, Cricket Australia (CA) has upheld the four-match suspension of England and Sydney Sixers all-rounder Tom Curran for umpire intimidation, dismissing the club’s appeal against the sanction. The suspension was imposed on the English fast bowler after he was found guilty of intimidating an umpire during an altercation preceding the Sixers’ match against the Hobart Hurricanes on December 11 at the North Tasmania Cricket Association Ground in Launceston.
Curran faced a Level 3 offence charge under Cricket Australia‘s Code of Conduct for nearly colliding with reserve umpire Muhammad Qureshi before the match. Despite the unsuccessful appeal, the all-rounder will be absent for the Sixers’ upcoming three matches, having already sat out the game against the Adelaide Strikers on December 22.
“Umpires are part of the lifeblood of cricket and it is essential they are respected and appreciated by players at all levels of the game. We acknowledge the remorse Tom’s shown following the appeal and look forward to seeing him back in Sixers colors. Tom has been a long-time contributor to the BBL and is a clear fan-favourite and someone we hope will continue to play an integral role in the competition moving forward,” the general manager of BBL Alistair Dobson said.
Watch the video of the offence;
The vision everyone's been waiting for.
This is the series of events that's led to Tom Curran's four-game suspension… pic.twitter.com/CRcBujbIl0
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) December 21, 2023
I deeply regret the way I reacted to it: Tom Curran
After the Sydney Sixers appealed the ban, Tom Curran expressed regret for the incident and extended an apology to everyone involved. Sixers skipper Moises Henriques, a day after the charge, defended the England all-rounder and believed the penalty was excessively harsh.
“The interaction with Umpire Qureshi took me by surprise at a time when I was very focused on my pre-match routine. I didn’t expect the stand-off that resulted. I deeply regret the way I reacted to it and the resultant impact on Umpire Qureshi, the Sydney Sixers and myself personally. My intention was always to veer off to Umpire Qureshi’s right, in a similar way to my run up at the other end. I had never considered running into him and never considered that he would think that was my intention,” Curran said.
