England and Sydney Sixers all-rounder Tom Curran has lost his appeal against a four-match ban for intimidating an umpire in Australia’s Big Bash League.
The 28-year-old was charged over an incident on 11 December before a game against Hobart Hurricanes.
Cricket Australia (CA) found that Curran was involved in a disagreement with an umpire during the warm-up.
“Umpires are part of the lifeblood of cricket,” said Alistair Dobson, CA’s BBL general manager.
“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 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.”
In the build-up to the match, the fourth umpire – who is tasked with supervising the pitch – asked Curran not to run on the pitch.
But CA’s code of conduct commissioner Adrian Anderson found that Curran then “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”.
The incident was deemed to be “intimidation or attempted intimidation of an umpire or match referee” under the Cricket Australia code.
According to the BBL’s rules, only the captain and team coach are permitted to walk on the pitch to assess its condition prior to the start of play, with spiked footwear also not allowed before the match.