Melbourne Stars signing Tom Curran on Sixers exit, umpire incident and a fresh start

It was the flash point of a turbulent season – and one that left BBL super import Tom Curran as the competition’s chief villain. He explains the ‘crazy’ season, and why he quit the Sixers.

Tom Curran still cannot fathom how he became the Big Bash League’s primary villain last summer but the English all-rounder is keen to put his turbulent final season with the Sydney Sixers behind him as he embarks on a new BBL chapter with the Melbourne Stars.

Curran, 29, had been a BBL regular with the Sixers but departed the club in the Winter, joining the Stars on a two-season deal under the new pre-draft overseas player signing mechanism.

Only three men have taken more wickets for the Sixers than Curran’s 51, but last summer he made headlines for the wrong reasons, suspended after running into the path of umpire Muhammad Qureshi while warming up for a game against the Hobart Hurricanes.

He returned briefly, only to have his season ended by a knee injury.

Tom Curran copped a four-week ban for this incident with umpire Muhammad Qureshi: Picture: 7 Cricket

While stressing that he was keen to move on from the incident, Curran, who played two Tests on the 2017-18 Ashes tour, remained of the view that the penalty and public reaction to what he did had been over-the-top.

“It was obviously just a very frustrating time to be honest. Yeah, I guess it was pretty well documented, probably too well documented, in my view. It was just one of those things. I was never saying I did nothing wrong, but it was, it was pretty crazy, in my view, that it got to that,” Curran told this masthead.

“So look, I was happy to see it put behind me. The season didn’t end how I would have liked, obviously, then hurting my knee. But to be honest, I think it was just such an emotionally draining few weeks that I have no doubt that contributed to that.

Curran will leave the Sixers after a successful stint with the club. Picture: Getty

“So it was just a very frustrating time. I feel like it could have been dealt with a whole lot differently. I was never saying I did nothing wrong, but for it to be that sort of punishment I thought was harsh.

“I’m an emotional person. You know, emotions are high in sports, and you know, these sorts of things can happen sometimes. So look again, I was never saying I did nothing wrong, and I’m just glad that’s done. And I guess it’s nice to come back and start afresh with a new franchise, and get back to doing what I love and what I feel like I’ve done really nicely in Australia previously.”

Curran said it had been an easy decision to commit to the Stars – where he is reunited with Indian Premier League teammate Glenn Maxwell – once they approached him.

“It was pretty much a no-brainer for me. I feel like there were two franchises I would want to play for it would definitely be the be the Stars and the Sixers. I had some great memories of the Sixers, but it just it feels like a change at the right time and the start of a new, exciting chapter,” Curran said.

“So very much looking forward to this next challenge. Looking forward to being in Melbourne. I haven’t explored as much of the city as I would have liked over the years. So very much. Looking forward to being immersed in that, in that culture.”

Originally published as Melbourne Stars signing Tom Curran on Sixers exit, umpire incident and a fresh start