Former ICC best umpire walks away from international cricket
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One of the most well-known faces and the most celebrated umpires of the modern generation, Marais Erasmus, has finally called time on his international career as an umpire. The former best umpire accredited by the ICC will make his final field appearance on Saturday.
Umpiring stands as one of the most relevant yet ignored professions in cricket. They decide the fate of the cricketers on the field; hence, the situation can be very nerve-racking for them, as one wrong step and they could be blamed or banned for causing a team's defeat.
In his career, which spanned over two decades, the South African umpire has witnessed the old-school umpiring methods and the modern-day technologies like the DRS, Hotspot, Snico, and several such methods that have made umpiring a less challenging yet more questionable job.
ICC-accredited Best Umpire retires from Cricket
Currently, an era of excellence will end on Saturday, when the South African legend Marais Erasmus, the highly rated international umpire, will stand in his final game as an umpire before pulling the curtains on a career that spanned over 26 years.
It started in club cricket in 2000 and encompasses 82 Tests, 125 ODIs—all men's games—and 61 men's and women's T20Is. This adds up with the 131 internationals that he carefully scrutinized from behind the screens. He also stood in 66 other first-class matches, 72 list A games, and 174 T20s on the field.
He was the recipient of the prestigious ICC Umpire of the Year (David Shepherd Trophy) three times—in 2016, 2017, and 2021—and was widely known for his calmness and high accuracy on the field.
Marais Erasmus' final game as an umpire
After a 26-year-long career in International cricket, the South African umpire steps down from his position of utmost glory. His final appearance will be in a game between Boland and Lions in Paarl on Saturday.
When asked about his farewell games, Marais Erasmus told Cricbuzz, "There might be 50 souls and a dog." This might seem like a low-key farewell to such a renowned figure in world cricket, but not for Erasmus, who remains the same humble and unflappable figure he was 20 years back then.
Also, it is a privilege for the former cricketer to go down umpiring his former team, Boland, for whom he featured in 53 First-Class matches and 54 List A matches. He also captained them in 17 matches, while featuring as a seam bowling all-rounder.
"I'm glad the end is here. It's been a long, long journey." - Marais Erasmus
In his interview with Cricbuzz, the South African umpire revealed that he is more than happy to have made it until here, but the desire to go on-field died long ago, ever since he umpired in his final Test between New Zealand and Australia at the Hagley Oval in 2024.
The international maestro has stood up his ground on several occasions; he has been challenged and subjected to extreme pressure on several occasions throughout his career as he stood up in 14 Ashes Tests, four Men's World Cups and eleven T20 World Cups.
He has seen through blockbusters between India and Pakistan, including the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy final, and has had his stint in the IPL. Challenged a total of 43 times in his career, he proved to be correct 40 times.
He also claimed that this time it just means retirement for him and his wife. They want to go around and travel the world. He said, "I'm glad the end is here. It's been a long, long journey."
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