Renowned South African umpire Marais Erasmus has retired from his distinguished international umpiring career following the ongoing Test series between New Zealand and Australia. His final assignment is the first Test in Wellington that commenced on February 29.
A member of the ICC’s elite panel, the 60-year-old started his umpiring journey in a T20I between South Africa and Australia in 2006. Announcing the end of his career, Erasmus stated to Cricbuzz before the first Test between Australia and New Zealand:
“I’ll miss the privileges and the traveling. 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 clinched the ICC Umpire of the Year title three times – in 2016, 2017, and 2021, a feat surpassed only by Simon Taufel’s five. His umpiring record includes 80 Tests, 124 ODIs, and 43 T20Is in men’s cricket, along with 18 women’s T20Is.
Additionally, he served as the television official in 131 men’s internationals across various formats. In his playing days, Erasmus was an all-rounder for Boland, featuring in 53 first-class and 54 List-A matches, accumulating over 2,000 runs and taking 179 wickets.
“I plan to officiate in domestic cricket next season while also taking on a mentoring role”- Marais Erasmus
When questioned about his plans during his break from international cricket, Marais Erasmus mentioned that he intends to take the first few months off during the winter before resuming umpiring duties in South African domestic cricket.
“For the first couple of months I’m just going to take the winter off. We have some travel planned domestically, and from September I’ll be in the hands of CSA. We still need to finalise how they want to use me.”
“I’ll umpire in domestic cricket next season and play a mentoring role. I might go to the Khaya Majola Week [a schools event] or the club championships, and I’ll be watching and advising umpires,” said Erasmus.
He concluded:
“To have seen the best players and been to the iconic venues and World Cups is a massive privilege. It’s been quite a journey from being a schoolboy who kept score while watching Eddie Barlow play at Newlands.”
The esteemed umpire has overseen major cricketing tournaments, including the recent 2023 ODI World Cup.
Key matches in Erasmus’ umpiring career include the 2011 ODI World Cup quarter-final between India and Australia, the opening match of the 2015 tournament between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and the 2017 Champions Trophy final featuring India and Pakistan, among various others.
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