Former Test umpire slams decision from Sydney Sixers to appeal Tom Curran’s suspension for intimidation

Former Test umpire Tony McQuillan has slammed the Sydney Sixers and Tom Curran, comparing the ‘disgraceful’ incident to an infamous act from a West Indian quick in the 1980s.

The Sydney Sixers remain unbowed in their quest to appeal the finding against Tom Curran despite a former Test umpire’s belief that the all-rounder should be asked to show cause why he should not be sacked for what he viewed as blatant intimidation of an umpire.

Curran has been suspended for four Big Bash League games after almost colliding with a reserve umpire who warned him not to encroach onto the pitch while warming ahead of a game against the Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston earlier this month.

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The Englishman, who has represented his country across all three formats, is one of the BBL’s leading imports and has been a mainstay of a successful Sixers side in recent seasons.

The Sixers were understood to be in the process of formalising their appeal lodgement on Friday, hoping to expedite the hearing given the club has three matches inside a week from Boxing Day.

Cricket Australia has indicated that it could not flag an appeal date until the Sixers had lodged the appropriate documentation.

Curran was due to serve the first of his four matches when the Sixers played Adelaide on Friday night at the SCG.

The Sixers are likely to seek to downgrade the sanction rather than aiming to clear Curran entirely.

Tony McQuillan, a former Test and one-day international umpire, said he considered the four-match ban far too light and was staggered the Sixers have appealed.

“For the Sydney Sixers to appeal this decision is a disgrace,’’ McQuillan told this masthead.

“This deserved much more than four weeks. They have thrown the book very lightly at him.

“Can you imagine what would happen if Mitchell Starc did this in the Indian Premier League? Rather than appealing the sentence he should have to show cause why he should not be sacked.

McQuillan said umpires had it “tough enough”.

“If it was a new bloke you might say he didn’t know the rules,” he said.

Tom Curran nearly collides with reserve umpire Muhammad Quereshi, an incident which resulted in the Englishman being suspended for four games. Picture: Channel 7

“But there is simply no excuse. This has taken us back to when Colin Croft barged an umpire in New Zealand. It is a very bad look. ’’

West Indian fast man Croft famously elbowed umpire Fred Goodall as he was running in to bowl in Christchurch in 1980 and fellow umpire Steve Woodward, who was at square leg, said the incident had a negative impact on Goodall’s life.

While the suspension became public via a CA announcement on Thursday, the situation escalated when Seven aired footage of the incident on Thursday night, sparking widespread condemnation of Curran’s behaviour.

That ramped up further when SEN reported on Friday morning that Curran told the umpire “if you stand in the way I have nowhere go you f***head,” although it’s understood that version of events is disputed by at least some at the Sixers.

The ban was handed down by CA code of conduct commissioner Adrian Anderson, the former AFL head of football now forging a career as a barrister.

Elements within the Sixers have fumed at the magnitude of the sanctions, which are amplified this season given the BBL has been cut from 14 regular season matches per team to 10.

The Sixers say they will not make further comment on the matter given the ongoing nature of proceedings.

Originally published as Former Test umpire slams decision from Sydney Sixers to appeal Tom Curran’s suspension for intimidation