Marais Erasmus admits to a critical error in 2019 Cricket World Cup final

WEB DESK: South African umpire Marais Erasmus admitted to a critical error during the 2019 Cricket World Cup final between England and New Zealand.

The incident involved an overthrow by Martin Guptill of New Zealand deflecting off Ben Stokes’ (England team) bat and resulting in England being awarded six runs. This is contrary to the MCC rule-book that stipulates only five runs should have been awarded.

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The “Laws of Cricket’ encompass a set of rules governing the sport worldwide. These guidelines have been under the possession and upkeep of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London.

Marais Erasmus acknowledged the mistake after fellow umpire Kumar Dharmasena brought it to his attention the next morning, expressing regret over the oversight but clarifying it was not intentional.

The final outcome, determined by a boundary count-back and a tied Super Over, led to England’s victory, sparking widespread debate and criticism.

Marais Erasmus also admitted to another error during the final but expressed disappointment given his otherwise error-free performance throughout his extensive umpiring career.

He noted varying degrees of pressure from players, with New Zealand being the least pressurising team.

Erasmus used to be a first-class cricketer, playing for his home country, before switching to umpiring in 2002.

Erasmus entered the international umpiring scene when he officiated a T20I match between South Africa and Australia in 2006. This paved the way for his participation in various International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments, including world cups. He received recognition for his consistent performance, earning the ICC Umpire of the Year award multiple times.

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In February 2024, Erasmus decided to retire from international umpiring, choosing to focus solely on domestic cricket in South Africa. His departure from the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires was confirmed after the conclusion of the second test match between New Zealand and Australia in March 2024.

His umpiring career spans 127 tests matches, 192 one-day internationals (ODIs), and 61 in the sport’s shortest format Twenty20 (T20).