England international Tom Curran is facing a four-game suspension in the Big Bash League (BBL) for intimidating an umpire. However, his club, Sydney Sixers, asserted on Friday that the action was unintentional and expressed their commitment to appealing the decision.
The fast bowler, with 30 T20I appearances for England, received the penalty following a charge under Cricket Australia's code of conduct.
The incident originated from a pre-match occurrence against the Hobart Hurricanes earlier this month, during which the umpire had to reposition to avoid a collision with Curran during practice run.
He was charged for "intimidation or attempted intimidation of an umpire, match referee or medical personnel whether by language or conduct (including gestures) during a match".
"Curran contested the charge, and the matter was heard by Code of Conduct Commissioner, Adrian Anderson," Cricket Australia said in a statement.
"The Commissioner found that Curran committed the offence and imposed a penalty of four suspension points, equating to four BBL matches."
Rachael Haynes, the head of Sydney Sixers, stated that the club intends to appeal the sanction "vigorously".
"Tom and the club maintain that Tom did not knowingly or intentionally intimidate a match official, and on legal advice, we will exercise our right to appeal the decision," she said.
"We will support Tom during this period and look forward to him returning to the field."
(With AFP inputs)
