Rudi Koertzen retires after a successful career
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has paid tribute to veteran South African umpire Rudi Koertzen who stands in his final international match today. Koertzen, who retires after the end of the second Test between Pakistan and Australia being played at Leeds, however, said the pressure had only helped him to improve as the years went by.
Having umpired in 108 Tests, 209 one-day international and 14 Twenty20 internationals, Koertzen said: “The more pressure they put on you, the better you are. It makes you tougher out there in the middle”.
“It’s not only them, it’s all spheres of cricket. Whether it’s club level or whatever, if they know they can get hold of you and break you down, they will do it,” he added.
Koertzen, born on March 26, 1949 in Knysna, made his international ODI debut on December 9, 1992 in a match between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth and three weeks later at the same venue and between the same opponents stood in his first Test match.
“This morning I thought I’ll have a nice and easy day, then they started putting pressure on me to see if the old guy can handle it,” Koertzen said. “That’s cricket. It’s an amazing sport and I was so honoured to be part of it and I’ll definitely miss it.”
“I am really looking forward to retirement. I’ve got a few things in the pipeline but I am looking forward to taking a break and spending time with my family.” he added.
© AFP
