- The English paceman was suspended for four matches
- Sydney Sixers will appeal the decision
- Captain said all the players were behind Curran
Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques has questioned the long-term ban on fast bowler Tom Curran, calling the investigation into intimidating an umpire 'character assassination'.
The England paceman was banned for four Big Big League matches after a vision emerged of him charging at a referee at full speed before launching into a verbal tirade ahead of the match against the Hobart Hurricanes.
The umpire instructed Curran not to run on the wicket during his warm-up, in accordance with the Laws of the Game, and stood in his way to prevent him running onto the field.
While the vision clearly shows Curran running towards the referee, his skipper Henriques has gone to bat for him and challenged a level three offense under the code of conduct for intimidating a referee.
“Just it took 10 days for a hearing to take place, which is very unusual,” he said.
'We will certainly appeal.
'All the players and all our staff are behind him.
“It's been a pretty tough time for 'TC' the last 11 or 12 days sitting on this, and knowing what he's like, he's taken this to heart and is really concerned about his character being assassinated.
“It's a big claim, so I wish him the best.”
Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques (left) fully supports Curran after accusation of intimidating referee
The England bowler is 'doing it tough' according to his skipper, who has condemned the severity of the attack
Jordan Silk was the hero for the Sixers in their win over the Adelaide Strikers and he also backed Curran
Sixers veteran Jordan Silk backed his captain's claims when asked about Curran.
“He's definitely a likeable guy,” he said.
'We have clearly missed him in recent seasons. We loved it when he was here a few years ago. He's clearly having a hard time right now.
“I think Mo has probably talked about the whole situation quite a bit and as a teammate I just put my arms around him and tell him I have his back.
'Hopefully we can get a few more wins and he will be a nice addition coming back to our team.'
Despite Curran's absence, the Sixers managed to secure a crucial victory over the Adelaide Strikers on Friday.
“It's probably become part of our DNA,” Silk said after his team dramatically won Daniel Hughes' 100th match.
“We like having this 150-160 total, and we like having to defend it.
“I think the Scorchers would say the same thing – they like to defend a total that might be a little bit underwhelming.
'We always back ourselves and remain very aggressive with the ball and in the field.'