An apologetic Tom Curran maintains he did not try to intimidate an umpire, after the Sydney Sixers allrounder had his four-game Big Bash League ban upheld.
Curran on Sunday failed in his bid to have his suspension downgraded after a two-and-a-half hour hearing.
It means the England international will miss games against Melbourne Stars, Sydney Thunder and Brisbane, along with the one he has already sat out against Adelaide.
The ban is the longest dished out for on-field behaviour in the BBL, after Curran ran at fourth-umpire Muhammad Qureshi in Launceston on December 11.
After being told he could not practise his run up onto the wicket, the Sixers' first-round draft pick stood at the top of his mark and charged in as Qureshi stood on the crease and blocked his path.
Qureshi moved out of the way to avoid contact, although Curran remains adamant he had not tried to run into the umpire.
“My intention was always to veer off to Umpire Qureshi's right, in a similar way to my run up at the other end," Curran said in a statement.
"I had never considered running into him and never considered that he would think that was my intention.
"However, on reflection, I should have repositioned my run up a metre or so to my left. I would not do the same if the situation arose again, and I am sorry.
“I deeply regret the way I reacted to it and the resultant impact for Umpire Qureshi, the Sydney Sixers and myself."
The Sixers have confirmed they accept the commissioner's findings and will not take the matter further.
AAP has been told the club had mounted its appeal on the basis of an error of law, with no scope within the rules for the ban to be increased.
Curran was insistent there had been no intent to intimidate Qureshi.
“My preparation for every fixture is deeply methodical and my focus is intense during the warm-up," he said.
"Part of my preparation is to do a run through and gauge my run up on that particular surface.
"I’ve done this before every match and it’s part of my routine for every match.
“The interaction with Umpire Qureshi took me by surprise at a time when I was very focused on my pre-match routine. I didn’t expect the stand-off that resulted."
The club questioned the severity of the sanction, with Curran the first player hit with a grade-three offence by Cricket Australia since Cameron Bancroft, Steve Smith and David Warner in 2018's ball-tampering scandal.
"Whilst not disagreeing that Tom had breached the code through his conduct, we felt that the charge was inconsistent with other offences," head of Sydney Sixers Rachael Haynes said.
"Following the ruling, we respect that not to be the case.
“While we support Tom as a valued member of the club, in no way do we condone any sort of disrespect towards match officials."
