Veteran umpire Marais Erasmus calls it quits from international cricket, to officiate NZ vs AUS Tests as last assignment
Veteran South African umpire Marais Erasmus will hang his boots from the umpiring duties in international cricket following the conclusion of the ongoing two-match Test series between New Zealand and Australia.
He announced on Thursday just ahead of the first Trans-Tasman Test. The 60-year-old has been a doyen in umpiring in the international cricket circuit having a vast experience of officiating in all three formats.
The 60-year-old stood in to officiate 80 Tests, 124 ODIs, and 43 T20Is in men’s cricket and 18 women’s T20Is as well. His final outing will be the two-match Test series between the Kangaroos and the Kiwis which began in Wellington on Thursday and will conclude in Christchurch with the second Test. Erasmus used to be a pace-bowling allrounder for Boland in the South African domestic circuit before transitioning as an umpire.
He started his umpiring career in 2006 debuting in a T20I between Australia and New Zealand and went on to establish himself as one of the finest umpires the game has ever produced. His cabinet brims with three ICC Umpire of the Year which he bagged in 2016, 2017, and 2021 and he is just behind Simon Taufel’s five. He joined the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2010.
He officiated many grand events of the ICC, most recent being the ODI World Cup 2023 in India where he was the most experienced of all. His name was often attached to some high-voltage encounters like the India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy final and also the 2011 World Cup quarterfinal between India and Australia.
