[ad_1]
Marais Erasmus has announced his retirement from international umpiring.
The 60-year-old, who began his career as an umpire in 2006, was one of two on-field umpires for England’s dramatic win against New Zealand in the 2019 men’s Cricket World Cup final.
He will retire after the second and final Test between New Zealand and Australia, which starts on Friday.
“I feel it is time for me to step away and look to contribute to the game in some other way,” Erasmus said.
“I am very fortunate to have continued my association with the game after my time as a cricketer in South Africa and have enjoyed every moment.”
Erasmus, who played as a seam-bowling all-rounder for Boland in his native South Africa before switching to umpiring, was appointed to the elite panel of ICC umpires in 2010.
He was named ICC Umpire of the Year in 2016, 2017 and 2021.
His final Test will be his 82nd, leaving him 10th on the list of umpires to officiate in most Test matches.
Pakistan’s Aleem Dar holds the record, having stood in 145 Tests before retiring from the elite list in March 2023.
