‘50 souls and a dog’: Erasmus bows out quietly

Veteran South African umpire Marais Erasmus has brought the curtain down on a remarkable 26-year career as an officiator in a domestic List-A game on his home soil.

Erasmus, who has been named ICC’s Umpire of the Year three times (2016, 2017, 2021), officiated his final match in modest surroundings, in a domestic 50-over match between Boland and the Lions in South Africa’s Paarl.

Before the match, he joked to cricket website Cricbuzz that his final match as an umpire will unfold in front of “50 souls and a dog”.

Erasmus stood in numerous high-profile matches across formats, including the highly contentious ICC World Cup final in 2019.

He was also the one who signaled Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews timed out after the appeal from Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan during their ICC ODI World Cup match in 2023.

The 62-year-old has officiated in 82 Tests, 125 ODIs and 61 T20Is. He has also worked as a third umpire in 131 international matches.