Rudi Koertzen
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Eric Koertzen otherwise known as Rudi Koertzen is a former international cricket
umpire
. His name is pronounced ˈkɝːtsən in English.
Koertzen was born in Knysna
in Cape Province
, South Africa
. A cricket enthusiast since his youth, Koertzen played league cricket while working for South African Railways. He became an umpire in 1981. His "slow death" style of indicating that a batsman is out makes him at once recognisable anywhere in the cricket world.
He officiated in his first One Day International match when South Africa played India at Port Elizabeth on 9 December 1992, and in his first Test match
during the same tour, when South Africa played India at Port Elizabeth on 26-29 December 1992. This series was also the first in which television replays were used to assist with run out
decisions.
He became a full-time ICC
umpire in 1997, and was one of the original members of the Emirates ICC Elite umpire panel
when it was founded in 2002. Following the retirement of Steve Bucknor
in March 2009, he and Daryl Harper
are the last two umpires from the original elite panel to continue standing in Test matches. He has officiated in world record number of ODIs, having overtaken David Shepherd
's record of 172 matches with the Cricket World Cup
match between England and West Indies at Barbados in April 2007. He was the second man to stand in 150 ODIs with the match between India and Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in April 2006. On 11 July 2009, he became the first person in the history of the game to umpire 200 One-day internationals. He became the second umpire to stand in 100 Test matches in July 2009, standing in the second 2009 Ashes Test at Lord's.
He has been appointed to several high profile matches including India-Pakistan series and Ashes series (he was one of the umpires during the famous 2005 Ashes). In the 2003 Cricket World Cup
, he officiated on-field in one of the semi-finals and was the third umpire in the final. He reprised those role in the 2007 Cricket World Cup
. He has also been the on-field umpire for the final of the Champions Trophy
in both 2004 and 2006. He was also selected to umpire in the ICC SuperSeries (Australia v World XI) in 2005, along with Taufel, Dar and Darrell Hair
.
His professionalism has seen him through some controversial moments, especially in relation to being approached by people wishing to fix the results of matches in 1999. He is also highly regarded by the players; he was officially voted the top umpire in 2002, and was nominated for the Umpire of the Year award in 2005 and 2006, finishing 3rd on both occasions behind Simon Taufel
, who won on both occasions, and Aleem Dar
, who was second on both occasions. However, for the role he played in the 2007 World Cup final, misinterpreting the bad light rules, Koertzen was stood down from officiating in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20
championship in September 2007. He was selected to umpire matches in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20
in England.
Koertzen has stated that his career goal is umpiring 100 tests and 200 ODIs before he retires, something which he achieved during the 2nd Ashes Test at Lord's in July 2009.
Koertzen announced his decision to retire in June, and his last assignment as an international Umpire was second and final Test between Pakistan and Australia played at Headingley from 21 to 24 July 2010.
Awards
ICC Bronze Bails Award
for 100 ODIs.
ICC Silver Bails Award for 200 ODIs.
ICC Golden Bails Award
for 100 Tests.
(Koertzen is the only umpire to achieve all three.)
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
umpire
Umpire (cricket)
In cricket, an umpire is a person who has the authority to make judgements on the cricket field, according to the Laws of Cricket...
. His name is pronounced ˈkɝːtsən in English.
Koertzen was born in Knysna
Knysna
Knysna is a town with 76,431 inhabitants in the Western Cape Province of South Africa and is part of the Garden Route. It lies 34 degrees south of the equator, and is 72 kilometres east from the town of George on the N2 highway, and 25 kilometres west of Plettenberg Bay on the same road.-History:A...
in Cape Province
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequently the Republic of South Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. A cricket enthusiast since his youth, Koertzen played league cricket while working for South African Railways. He became an umpire in 1981. His "slow death" style of indicating that a batsman is out makes him at once recognisable anywhere in the cricket world.
He officiated in his first One Day International match when South Africa played India at Port Elizabeth on 9 December 1992, and in his first Test match
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
during the same tour, when South Africa played India at Port Elizabeth on 26-29 December 1992. This series was also the first in which television replays were used to assist with run out
Run out
Run out is a method of dismissal in the sport of cricket. It is governed by Law 38 of the Laws of cricket.-The rules:A batsman is out Run out if at any time while the ball is in play no part of his bat or person is grounded behind the popping crease and his wicket is fairly put down by the opposing...
decisions.
He became a full-time ICC
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
umpire in 1997, and was one of the original members of the Emirates ICC Elite umpire panel
ICC Elite umpire panel
The Elite Panel of ICC Umpires is a panel of cricket umpires appointed by the International Cricket Council to officiate in Test matches and One Day Internationals around the world....
when it was founded in 2002. Following the retirement of Steve Bucknor
Steve Bucknor
The Honourable Stephen Anthony Bucknor OJ, also known as Steve Bucknor, is a former international cricket umpire. He was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, on 31 May 1946. He became a high school mathematics teacher and sports coach, before becoming an international football referee and a cricket umpire...
in March 2009, he and Daryl Harper
Daryl Harper
Daryl John Harper, is an Australian cricket umpire, who was a Test umpire between 1998 and 2011. He was a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires from 2002 until 2011 when the ICC announced that Harper was being stood down at the termination of his contract in July 2011...
are the last two umpires from the original elite panel to continue standing in Test matches. He has officiated in world record number of ODIs, having overtaken David Shepherd
David Shepherd (umpire)
David Robert Shepherd MBE was one of the cricket world's best-known umpires. He stood in 92 Test matches, the last of them in June 2005, and officiated in three World Cup finals.- Playing career :...
's record of 172 matches with the Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
match between England and West Indies at Barbados in April 2007. He was the second man to stand in 150 ODIs with the match between India and Pakistan at Abu Dhabi in April 2006. On 11 July 2009, he became the first person in the history of the game to umpire 200 One-day internationals. He became the second umpire to stand in 100 Test matches in July 2009, standing in the second 2009 Ashes Test at Lord's.
He has been appointed to several high profile matches including India-Pakistan series and Ashes series (he was one of the umpires during the famous 2005 Ashes). In the 2003 Cricket World Cup
2003 Cricket World Cup
-Group stage tables and results:The top three teams from each pool qualify for the next stage, carrying forward the points already scored against fellow qualifiers, plus a quarter of the points scored against the teams that failed to qualify.-Pool A:...
, he officiated on-field in one of the semi-finals and was the third umpire in the final. He reprised those role in the 2007 Cricket World Cup
2007 Cricket World Cup
The 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup was the ninth edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup tournament that took place in the West Indies from 13 March to 28 April 2007, using the sport's One Day International format...
. He has also been the on-field umpire for the final of the Champions Trophy
ICC Champions Trophy
The ICC Champions Trophy is a One Day International cricket tournament, second in importance only to the Cricket World Cup. It was inaugurated as the ICC Knock Out tournament in 1998 and has been played every two years since, changing its name to the Champions Trophy in 2002...
in both 2004 and 2006. He was also selected to umpire in the ICC SuperSeries (Australia v World XI) in 2005, along with Taufel, Dar and Darrell Hair
Darrell Hair
Darrell Bruce Hair is an Australian former Test match cricket umpire, from New South Wales. He stood on the Emirates International panel of umpires from 2002 to 2003, before he, along with fellow Australian Simon Taufel, and New Zealander Billy Bowden, was appointed to the ICC Elite umpire panel...
.
His professionalism has seen him through some controversial moments, especially in relation to being approached by people wishing to fix the results of matches in 1999. He is also highly regarded by the players; he was officially voted the top umpire in 2002, and was nominated for the Umpire of the Year award in 2005 and 2006, finishing 3rd on both occasions behind Simon Taufel
Simon Taufel
Simon James Arthur Taufel, , is an Australian cricket umpire who is a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel...
, who won on both occasions, and Aleem Dar
Aleem Dar
Aleem Sarwar Dar is a retired Pakistani first-class cricketer and a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won three consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards 2009, 2010 and 2011, after being nominated twice in 2005 and 2006. Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel are the only umpires to have received the...
, who was second on both occasions. However, for the role he played in the 2007 World Cup final, misinterpreting the bad light rules, Koertzen was stood down from officiating in the inaugural ICC World Twenty20
ICC World Twenty20
The ICC World Twenty20 or ICC World T20 also referred to as the T20 World Cup is the international championship of Twenty20 cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council...
championship in September 2007. He was selected to umpire matches in the 2009 ICC World Twenty20
2009 ICC World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament which took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural event in South Africa in September 2007...
in England.
Koertzen has stated that his career goal is umpiring 100 tests and 200 ODIs before he retires, something which he achieved during the 2nd Ashes Test at Lord's in July 2009.
Koertzen announced his decision to retire in June, and his last assignment as an international Umpire was second and final Test between Pakistan and Australia played at Headingley from 21 to 24 July 2010.
Umpiring Statistics
As of the 4 June 2010:| First | Latest | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | South Africa v India at Port Elizabeth, Dec 1992 | Pakistan v Australia at Headingley Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium is a sporting complex in the Leeds suburb of Headingley in West Yorkshire, England. It is the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, rugby league team Leeds Rhinos and rugby union team Leeds Carnegie .... , Jul 2010 |
108 |
| ODIs | South Africa v India at Port Elizabeth, Dec 1992 | Zimbabwe v India at Harare Harare Sports Club Harare Sports Club is a cricket ground in Harare, Zimbabwe. Initially known as Salisbury Sports Club, Harare Sports Club has served as the primary cricket venue in Rhodesia and Zimbabwe since its inception. The ground became a Test venue in October 1992 when Zimbabwe played their inaugural Test,... , Jun 2010 |
206 |
| T20Is | South Africa v Pakistan at Johannesburg Wanderers Stadium BIDVest Wanderers Stadium is a stadium situated just south of Sandton in Illovo, Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Test, One Day and First class cricket matches are played here. It is also the home ground for the Highveld Lions, formerly known as Gauteng .The stadium has a seating... , Feb 2007 |
West Indies v Australia at Gros Islet Beausejour Stadium Beausejour Stadium is a cricket ground located near Gros Islet, Saint Lucia. It was completed in 2002 and currently accommodates 13,000 spectators... , May 2010 |
14 |
Awards
ICC Bronze Bails Award
Bronze Bails Award
The Bronze Bails Award in the sport of Cricket, is award given by the International Cricket Council to umpires who have officiated in 100 One Day Internationals.-Recipients:Bronze Bails awardees include:* Steve Bucknor...
for 100 ODIs.
ICC Silver Bails Award for 200 ODIs.
ICC Golden Bails Award
Golden Bails Award
The Golden Bails Award in the sport of Cricket, is award given by the International Cricket Council to umpires who have officiated in 100 test matches.-Related awards:...
for 100 Tests.
(Koertzen is the only umpire to achieve all three.)
External links
- Rudi Koertzen Profile on CricinfoCricinfoESPNcricinfo is believed to be the largest cricket-related website on the World Wide Web. Content includes news,articles, live scorecards,live text commentary and a comprehensive and searchable database called 'StatsGuru', of historical matches and players from the 18th century to the present...
website