Pardafas Reporter
Cricket umpire Rudi Koertzen
Rudi Koertzen, one of the greatest umpires to officiate in international cricket, passed away, aged 73, on Tuesday.
The former South African umpire died in a car accident while driving from Cape Town to Despatch.
He lived with his family in Eastern Cape in South Africa.
As per reports, along with Koertzen, three other people died in a collision that occurred in an area named Riverdale in South Africa.
At the age of 43, Koertzen umpired in the opening Test in Port Elizabeth. The International Cricket Council (ICC) appointed him as a full-time umpire in 1992. Thereafter, he didn’t look back after becoming the second umpire to stand in 100 Tests and 200 ODIs.
Koertzen also worked as a third umpire in the finals of the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. It was back in 2010 that he decided to hang his boots after a Test match between Pakistan and Australia.
South Africa is currently taking part in a practice match against England Lions in Canterbury prior to their three-match Test series against the hosts.
In honor of the late umpire, the South African players decided to wear black armbands during the match.
