Marais Erasmus calls time on glittering international umpiring career

Veteran South African umpire Marais Erasmus has called time on his illustrious international umpiring career after the ongoing Test series between New Zealand and Australia. The first Test at Wellington that started today (February 29) will be his last international assignment as an umpire.

Among the finest in the game, the 60-year-old is part of the ICC's elite panel. He began his umpiring career in a T20I between South Africa and Australia in 2006.

Calling time on his career, Erasmus said to Cricbuzz ahead of the first Australia-New Zealand Test:

"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 won the ICC Umpire of the Year thrice — 2016, 2017, and 2021, second only to Simon Taufel's five. He has umpired in 80 Tests, 124 ODIs, and 43 T20Is in men's cricket and 18 women's T20Is.

The South African was also the television official in 131 men's internationals across formats. An all-rounder in his playing days, Erasmus featured for Boland across 53 first-class and 54 List-A matches, scoring over 2,000 runs and picking up 179 wickets.

"I'll umpire in domestic cricket next season and play a mentoring role" - Marais Erasmus

India v England - 2nd Test Match: Day Four

When asked what he would do in his downtime after stepping away from international cricket, Marais Erasmus said he would take the winter off for the first few months before returning to umpire 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 legendary umpire has officiated in the most prominent cricketing events, including the recent 2023 ODI World Cup.

Some of Erasmus' marquee matches as an umpire include the India-Australia quarter-final in the 2011 ODI World Cup, the tournament opener between New Zealand and Sri Lanka in 2015, and the 2017 Champions Trophy final between India and Pakistan, among several others.