Fellow umpires and former players on Tuesday paid tribute to former South African umpire Rudy Kurtzen, who died in a car accident on Tuesday morning.
The 73-year-old was known as the ‘slow death’ because he took the time to lift a finger to signal the batsman was out. He made a record 331 international matches, including 108 Tests, between 1992 and his retirement in 2010.
Read also: Cricket South Africa mourns the death of former umpire Rudy Kurtzen
Pakistan umpire Aleem Dar, who has since broken Kertzen’s record, described Kurtzen’s death as “a huge loss”.
“I stood by him in so many games,” Dar said.
“He was not only very good as an umpire but also an excellent ally, always very cooperative on the field and always ready to help off the field. The players respected him a lot because of the kind of person he was.
Fellow South African Marais Erasmus described Kurtzen as “a strong character, both physically and mentally”.
Erasmus, crowned three times as international Cricket Council Umpire of the Year said of Kurtzen, “He paved the way for South African umpires to reach the world stage and made us all believe it was possible. A true legend. As a young umpire, I asked him.” Learned a lot.
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Former Sri Lanka star and former MCC president Kumar Sangakkara described Kurtzen as “an amazing friend and umpire” in a tweet. Honest, candid and loved the game.”
Former India batsman Virender Sehwag told how he would scold Kurtzen if he played a shot in a hurry, he said, “Play smart, I want to see your batting.”
Kurtzen used ‘Slow Death’ as the title of his autobiography.
“I used to put my hands in front of me and every time there was an appeal, I would fold them against my ribs,” Koertzen said in an interview.
“Then someone said to me ‘Rudy, you can’t do that. Every time you raise your hand to turn him, the bowler thinks you’re going to give him a wicket.
“So I started clasping my wrists from behind. The finger slowly comes out as it takes me time to let go of my grip.”
Kurtzen’s sense of theater was displayed in the final Test of the 2005 Ashes Test series between England and Australia.
She slowly took wickets to show that the match had ended in a draw, to confirm that the series victory was sealed for England as the game was abandoned. went away.
He was the television umpire in the 2003 and 2007 cricket World The umpiring team for the cup final but the subsequent match, between Australia and Sri Lanka in Barbados, was criticized for interpreting the rules regarding poor lighting at the chaotic end of the game.
Koertzen was a keen golfer who maintained a single figure handicap until the time of his death, which came when the car he was traveling in was involved in a collision on the N2 highway between Cape Town and Gqeberha.
He was traveling with friends from a golf trip in Cape Town on his way home to the Eastern Cape. Three other people died in the accident.
For the Test series starting next week, the South African team in England wore a black band in his memory on the first day of their match against England Lions in Canterbury on Tuesday.
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