Curran’s Umpire Incident Calls for Harsher Punishment: A Unique Case for a Bigger Ban

Since a child is first taught cricket they are told to respect the umpire at all times.It’s the most fundamental aspect of sport in general. Officials keep games on track for the benefit of players, administrators and fans in the cheap seats or watching on TV. Tom Curran’s decision to ignore umpire Mohammad Qureshi’s insistence he abstain from practicing his bowling run-up on the pitch before their clash with the Hobart Hurricanes and almost ploughing right through him is about as disgraceful a violation of that key principle as I can remember in the BBL.The incident warrants a four-game ban. It’s understandable that the Sixers are appealing the suspension to free Curran, but it also presents a poor reading of the room, especially now that vision has emerged of the incident. Every response to the incident has been against Curran’s reprehensible behavior. Sthalekar’s analysis is a disgraceful way to frame Qureshi’s involvement. This sort of thing hardly ever happens in the men’s game, either – certainly not to this extent in such a public setting. Sthalekar’s claim that Curran may not have heard Qureshi insisting he stay off the pitch also doesn’t hold water. Curran earned the four-game ban – indeed, he’s lucky his misconduct didn’t get him a worse whack. It’s up to the experts to ensure acts as disgraceful as these get the harsh and unequivocal response they deserve.