Tom Curran’s appeal against ban for umpire intimidation fails

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England’s Tom Curran has failed in his attempt to have his four-match ban in Australia’s Big Bash League overturned after being charged with intimidating an umpire.

The bizarre incident occurred on December 11, when Curran was warming up ahead of the Sydney Sixers’ game against Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston.

Cricket Australia’s code of conduct commissioner Adrian Anderson found that the 28-year-old, who last played for England in 2021, became involved in a disagreement with an umpire while going through his run-up.

The match official instructed Curran not to run on the pitch and stood next to the stumps to block his approach after he attempted to continue.

Anderson found that Curran “attempted to perform a practice run up and run at pace straight towards the umpire, who stood in the bowling crease facing Curran. The umpire stepped to his right to avoid the risk of collision”.

Australian broadcaster Channel 7 later posted footage on Twitter/X, which showed the umpire advising Curran he could not use the match surface for warm-ups, and the player then bounding towards him before both men moved to avert impact.

Curran and the Sydney Sixers denied the offence and appealed against the suspension.

But the Big Bash League announced on Sunday that the appeal had been “dismissed, with the original sanction to stand”.