SA v ENG 2023: WATCH – Marais Erasmus accidentally misses watching a delivery during first ODI

Erasmus was occupied with something in his hand when he missed watching a legal delivery.

One of the famous umpires in the world, Marais Erasmus on Friday (January 27) hogged the headlines after he missed out on watching a delivery during the first ODI between England and South Africa at Bloemfontein.

The 58-year-old was occupied with something in his hand when he missed watching a legal delivery while standing at square leg.

The incident happened during the 24th over of England’s inning. After Jason Roy played a shot off the backfoot against Anrich Nortje, cameras spotted Erasmus turning around to realize that he had accidentally missed a delivery.

Here’s the video:

Coming to the match, South Africa defeated England by 27 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.

Opting to bat first, Proteas rode on Rassie van der Dussen 111 off 117 balls to post 198/7 on the board. David Miller (53 of 56 balls) also made vital contributions with the bat.

Chasing the target, the visitors got bowled out for 271 in 44.2 overs as Jason Roy’s valiant knock of 91-ball 113 went in vain.