Marais Erasmus set to retire from umpiring following Test series between New Zealand and Australia

Marais Erasmus is set to retire from being an umpire at the highest level following the ongoing series between New Zealand and Australia in the longest format of the game. The South African confirmed the same by taking it to press in a statement. the fans who have watched him officiate the matches have expressed their disappointment and feel it to be a loss of cricket.

Before becoming an umpire, Erasmus played for Boland in domestic cricket in South Africa. It was in 2006 that he decided to be an umpire. Since then, Marais has been an umpire in 43 T20I matches, 124 ODIs, and 80 Test matches. Erasmus was also a part of 18 T20Is as an umpire in women’s cricket. He is a highly respected umpire by his peers and cricketers.

In addition to his on-field umpiring, Erasmus has also been a TV umpire for 131 times in internationals. He won the umpire of the year award in three years – 2017, 2016, and 2021, the second most for an umpire alongside Aleem Dar and Richard Kettleborough. Simon Taufel still tops the list with five such awards to his name, mostly in the 2000s.

‘I decided in October last year and I informed the Apex Board- – Marais Erasmus

Speaking about his retirement from being an umpire, the South African felt that he would miss the privileges an umpire would get for his role including the travelling and other facilities. Marais felt that he had been away from his family and home for a long time, which he regarded to be his comfort zone. He was an official in the ODI WC 2023 as well.

“I’ll miss the privileges and the travelling. But I’ve had enough of being away and living outside of my comfort zone,” said Erasmus in his statement. the South African added that he is looking for a boring life and claimed that he had made up his mind in October and informed the same to the Apex Board. “I decided in October last year and I informed the Apex Board that I would finish my contract in April and that would be that,” Erasmus claimed.