Curran’s BBL ban stands after failed appeal

Tom Curran’s four-game Big Bash League ban for umpire intimidation will stand after the Sydney Sixers allrounder’s appeal was dismissed.

Curran on Sunday failed in his bid to have his four-game suspension downgraded, after last week being found guilty following a bizarre run-in with a match official.

The Sixers have confirmed they will take the matter no further, after the club’s attempt to reduce the punishment was rejected by the appeals commissioner.

Curran has been widely slammed for running towards fourth umpire Muhammad Qureshi in Launceston on December 11, after the allrounder was advised he could not be on the pitch before play.

Told he could not practise his run up, Curran ignored the request of the umpire and charged towards him as Qureshi blocked the player from entering the pitch.

“My preparation for every fixture is deeply methodical and my focus is intense during the warm-up,” Curran said in a statement.

“Part of my preparation is to do a run through and gauge my run up on that particular surface.

“I’ve done this before every match and for me it’s part of my routine for every match.

“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.”

Curran said he had never attempted to run into Qureshi, adamant he was always going to avoid a collision as both men took evasive action.

“My intention was always to veer off to Umpire Qureshi’s right, in a similar way to my run up at the other end,” Curran said.

“I had never considered running into him and never considered that he would think that was my intention.

“However, on reflection, I should have repositioned my run up a metre or so to my left. I would not do the same if the situation arose again, and I am sorry.

“I deeply regret the way I reacted to it and the resultant impact for Umpire Qureshi, the Sydney Sixers and myself.”

The Sixers had argued the level-three code-of-conduct charge and subsequent four-game ban imposed upon Curran was too much.

The grading was the harshest handed down by Cricket Australia since Cameron Bancroft, David Warner and Steve Smith accepted level-three offences for the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.

But the failed appeal means the club’s first-round draft pick will miss clashes with Melbourne Stars, the Sydney Thunder and Brisbane after already sitting out a match against Adelaide.

“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,” BBL boss Alistair Dobson said.

“We acknowledge the remorse Tom’s shown following the appeal and look forward to seeing him back in Sixers colours.”