Tom Curran expressed his extreme remorse but reiterated he “never considered” running into the umpire as Cricket Australia dismissed the Sydney Sixers’ appeal of the English international’s four-match ban.
Curran was hit with the suspension on Thursday night after being charged with a level three offence under Cricket Australia’s code of conduct after he intimidated an umpire during a warm-up prior to the Sixers’ clash against the Hobart Hurricanes.
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The umpire moved out of the way at the last second to avoid colliding with Curran, who was also alleged to call the official a “f***head”.
Even after damning footage of the incident was released, the Sixers pressed ahead with their appeal.
However, the appeal has since fallen short as Cricket Australia stuck to their guns.
As a result, Curran will be eligible to return as soon as the Sixers’ fixture against the Brisbane Heat on January 3.
“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,” Cricket Australia general manager Alistair Dobson said in a statement.
“We acknowledge the remorse Tom’s shown following the appeal and look forward to seeing him back in Sixers colours.
“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.”
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In a statement released by the Sixers, Curran believed he was simply going about his “deeply methodical” and “intense” warmup and “didn’t expect” the ensuing standoff with the umpire.
“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,” Curran said.
“The interaction with Umpire Quesrshi 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 for Umpire Quereshi, the Sydney Sixers and myself personally.
“My intention was always to veer off to Umpire Quershi’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. 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.”
Head of Sydney Sixers Rachael Haynes believed the team had a case for Curran’s charge not deserving of a four-match suspension, but ultimately accepted the verdict.
“While we support Tom as a valued member of the club, in no way do we condone any sort of disrespect towards match officials,” Haynes said.
Sixers defend Curran after four game ban | 01:00
“This was a regrettable situation and one that Tom has shown remorse for.
“We sought to appeal the original decision based on previous Code of Conduct cases.
“Whilst not disagreeing that Tom had breached the code through his conduct, we felt that the charge was inconsistent with other offences. Following the ruling, we respect that not to be the case.”
In the wake of the incident, Curran’s Sixers teammates rallied around to support him.
“All the players and all our staff are in behind him,” Sixers skipper Moises Henriques told Fox Cricket prior to the Sixers’ Friday night fixture against the Strikers.
“It’s been a pretty tough time for ‘TC’ over the past 11 or 12 days sitting on this, and knowing what he’s like, he’s taken this to heart and he’s really worried about the assassination of his character.”
Sixers veteran Jordan Silk also expressed his admiration for Curran.
“He’s an absolutely loveable guy,” Silk said.
“We’ve obviously missed having him around the last couple of seasons. We loved when he was here a few years ago. He’s obviously doing it tough at the moment.”
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