Wellington: Veteran South Africa umpire Marais Erasmus said he would be retiring from his international umpiring career after the ongoing Test series between New Zealand and Australia.
Erasmus had played as a seam-bowling all-rounder for Boland in South Africa’s domestic cricket circuit, before transitioning as an umpire at the international level since 2006. As of now, he umpired in 80 Tests, 124 ODIs and 43 T20Is played by men, as well as in 18 women’s T20Is, and being the TV umpire in 131 men’s internationals across the formats.
“I’ll miss the privileges and the travelling. But I’ve had enough of being away and living outside of my comfort zone. I think having a more boring life is what I’m looking for. I decided in October last year and I informed the ICC that I would finish my contract in April and that would be that,” Erasmus told Cricbuzz.
Erasmus won the ICC Umpire of the Year award thrice — in 2016, 2017, and 2021, leveling alongside Richard Kettleborough and Aleem Dar in a list topped by Simon Taufel, who got the honour five times. He joined the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires from 2010. IANS
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