England all-rounder Tom Curran has been handed a four-match suspension in the Big Bash League (BBL) following a pre-match incident where he was found guilty of intimidating an umpire. The altercation occurred before Sydney Sixers’ encounter against Hobart Hurricanes on December 11 in Launceston, resulting in Cricket Australia charging Curran with a Level 3 offence under their Code of Conduct.
During the warm-up, Curran was verbally instructed by the umpire to refrain from using a part of the pitch after completing a practice run-up. Despite the instructions, Curran proceeded to the other end of the pitch, prompting the umpire to position himself near the stumps in an attempt to prevent Curran’s actions. Footage revealed Curran gesturing at the umpire to move away, followed by an attempt to run directly towards the umpire, who had to sidestep to avoid a potential collision.
Despite contesting the charge, Curran was issued with four suspension points, translating to a four-game ban. Consequently, he will miss Sydney Sixers’ upcoming matches against Adelaide Strikers, Melbourne Stars, Sydney Thunder, and Brisbane Heat in a significantly shortened BBL regular season where each team plays only 10 matches.
Rachael Haynes, the head of Sydney Sixers, announced the club’s decision to appeal the sanction vigorously while offering support to Curran. Haynes emphasized that both Curran and the club maintain Curran’s lack of intent to intimidate a match official. The club plans to exercise its right to appeal the decision based on legal advice, aiming to support Curran during this period and anticipating his return to the field.
