Marais Erasmus to Retire from International Cricket Umpiring After AUS vsNZ Tests

Legendary Umpire

Marais Erasmus, a veteran South African umpire, announced his retirement from international umpiring following the ongoing Test series between New Zealand and Australia.

Erasmus had played as a seam-bowling all-rounder for Boland in South Africa's local cricket circuit before becoming an international umpire in 2006. He has umpired 80 Tests, 124 ODIs, and 43 T20Is for men, as well as 18 women's T20Is and 131 men's internationals across formats as a TV umpire.

I’ll miss the privileges and the travelling. 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 told Cricbuzz

His legacy and experience will be missed -

Erasmus won the ICC Umpire of the Year title three times — in 2016, 2017, and 2021 — joining Richard Kettleborough and Aleem Dar on a list topped by Simon Taufel, who received the accolade five times. He joined the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires in 2010.

When asked about his plans after retiring from international umpiring, Erasmus replied, "For the first couple of months, I'm just going to take the winter off." We have some domestic trips planned, and I'll be with CSA beginning in September.

We still need to finalize 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 school event) or the club championships, and I’ll be watching and advising umpires.

Erasmus also talked about the things he would miss most about officiating international cricket matches. "The difficulty of the work, always having to attempt to do things correctly at the moment. It's constantly challenging and unique, and when you play well, it's thrilling.

There’s lots of camaraderie because we’re all in it together even though there’s competition between the guys. We all understand the highs and the lows, and that when someone is going through a rough period you need to support him because your turn will come.

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.