Umpire Marais Erasmus announces retirement

Veteran South African umpire Marais Erasmus has announced his retirement from his long and illustrious umpiring career. The ongoing Australia vs New Zealand Test series is his last assignment as an umpire. He has taken this decision to have a quieter life away from all the traveling involved with officiating in international matches. He was a first-class cricketer with the Boland cricket team and later became an umpire. Erasmus’s departure leaves Adrian Holdstock as the only other South African umpire in the elite panel of the ICC.

Marais Erasmus made his international debut in umpiring during a T20I match between Australia and South Africa in 2006 which was played at the Wanderer’s ground in Johannesburg. He has officiated in 80 Test matches, 124 ODIs, and 43 T20Is for men alongside 18 women’s T20Is in his long and illustrious career. He has now volunteered to mentor upcoming umpires and also officiate in the domestic matches for the CSA (Cricket South Africa).

Marais Erasmus, while speaking from Wellington where he is officiating in the first Test match between Australia and New Zealand which is being played at the Basin Reserve, said that he is choosing to retire to lead a more comfortable and boring life away from all the traveling involved in the umpiring job. The decision to retire, as revealed by Erasmus, was made in October of the previous year, to conclude his contract by April.

“I’ll miss the privileges and the travelling, but I’ve had enough of being away and living outside my comfort zone. I think having a more boring life is what I’m looking for,” Erasmus told Cricbuzz on Wednesday (February 28) from Wellington, where the first Test started on Thursday. The Wellington Test between New Zealand and Australia marked his final international assignment, bringing an end to a career that has significantly impacted the cricketing world.

Marais Erasmus has played domestic cricket in South Africa

Marais Erasmus has represented the Boland Cricket team as an all-rounder in first-class cricket and he has played 53 first-class matches where he has smashed 1913 runs at an average of 29.43 which includes seven half-centuries and a century. He has also taken 131 wickets in his career which includes a best figures of 6/22 against a visiting New Zealand team during the 1994/95 season.

In List A cricket, Erasmus has scored 322 runs at an average of 10.38 which includes a half-century, and has taken 48 wickets at an average of 37.06. He has also taken seven fifers in his first-class career. Erasmus was a Right-arm fast-medium bowler and was a right-handed batter. He has been one of the best umpires of all time and to show his accolades in umpiring, Marais Erasmus has won the ICC umpire of the year awards three times in the year 2016, 2017, and 2021.

An elite umpire such as Marais Erasmus will be duly recognized for his fairness and accuracy in his field. He was also a fun person to get along with and has had his moments with the players on the field. Marais Erasmus’ journey from playing first-class cricket to standing in iconic venues and World Cups as an umpire is a narrative of passion, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence.