Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques said his team-mate, England allrounder Tom Curran, was grappling with an "assassination" of his character after being handed a four-match ban for allegedly intimidating an umpire, even as BBL authorities faced the difficult task of organising a hearing for the appeal.
Curran was charged with a Level 3 offence under Cricket Australia's code of conduct for a pre-match incident, where he almost ran into reserve umpire Muhammad Qureshi before Sixers' game against Hobart Hurricanes on December 11 in Launceston. Footage of the incident was released by broadcaster Channel Seven on Thursday night, leading to widespread condemnation of Curran's actions. But Henriques, who said he had witnessed the incident, defended Curran.
"I didn't [think much of it at the time]. I don't think anyone else did," he told Fox Sports before Sixers' match against Adelaide Strikers on Friday. "I've seen the ten-second clip; it doesn't look great but... you can't quite understand the context there either. There was a bit of communication before and after, that probably hasn't been released either.
"I've known Tom for a long time, played with him at Surrey, he's been a big part of the Sixers for a long time. He's a great man, he's a real leader in the community, he's a leader among our team. I'm still struggling to comprehend that sort of penalty for what he's done."
The vision everyone's been waiting for.
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This is the series of events that's led to Tom Curran's four-game suspension... pic.twitter.com/CRcBujbIl0
The footage shows Curran completing a practice run-up and running on part of the pitch during the warm-up, before being verbally instructed by the umpire not to do so again. Curran then moved to the opposite end of the pitch to complete another practice run-up and almost collided with the umpire, who had taken position next to the stumps in an attempt to block him.
Henriques said the incident and the subsequent ban had taken its toll on Curran.
"It's been a pretty tough time for TC - the last 11 days - sitting on this and knowing what he's like," he said. "He's taken it to heart; he's really worried about the assassination of the character there. It's a big claim. I'm wishing him the best."
Sixers will appeal the sanction, but it does carry a risk as it is within the appeal commissioner's remit to increase the punishment. The four-match ban is significant in a shortened BBL regular season, where teams play ten matches each.
Curran is slated to play only in the regular season before flying to the UAE for the ILT20. There will be pressure on BBL authorities to quickly hear the appeal, with Christmas imminent. Sixers play Melbourne Stars on Boxing Day, with Curran's current ban also covering their matches against Sydney Thunder and Brisbane Heat.
"It took ten days to get a hearing in the first place, which is very unusual anyway," Henriques said. "We're definitely going to appeal. All of the players and all of our staff are behind him."
Meanwhile, CA chief executive Nick Hockley urged players to respect umpires and match officials.
"I think that those processes are in place for good reason, and my overarching message [is] to everybody - and this is not just at the elite level, but [also] at the community level where many of the umpires and officials give their time as volunteers," he said. "Respect is fundamental to the spirit of cricket, and it's fundamental to the laws of the game. Players are role models in society, and it's really important they show respect."