Veteran South African umpire Marais Erasmus has called time on his umpiring career. The 60-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best umpires in the circuit, with officiating experience of 80 Tests, 124 ODIs, and 43 T20Is in men's cricket and 18 women's T20Is.

The first Test between New Zealand and Australia in Wellington, which got underway on February 29, marks Erasmus’s last international match as an umpire.

Erasmus, who made his umpiring debut in 2006, received several laurels for his outstanding job over the years. He bagged the ICC Umpire of the Year award thrice (2016, 2017, and 2021), second only to Simon Taufel's five.

In an exclusive chat with Cricbuzz, Erasmus revealed that he had decided to quit in October last year and informed the ICC about his decision.

"I'll miss the privileges and the travelling. But I've had enough of being away and living outside of my comfort zone. I think having a more boring life is what I'm looking for. I decided in October last year and I informed the ICC that I would finish my contract in April and that would be that."

"To have seen the best players and been to the iconic venues and World Cups is a massive privilege. It's been quite a journey from being a schoolboy who kept score while watching Eddie Barlow play at Newlands," he added.

When asked about his future plans, Erasmus revealed he would take a sabbatical and then work with Cricket South Africa to officiate in domestic cricket.

"For the first couple of months, I'm just going to take the winter off. We have some travel planned domestically, and from September I'll be in the hands of CSA,” he stated.

Erasmus also spoke about taking up a mentor role for the umpires in his country.

“We still need to finalise how they want to use me. I'll umpire in domestic cricket next season and play a mentoring role. I might go to the Khaya Majola Week (a school event) or the club championships, and I'll be watching and advising umpires," he further remarked.