Marais Erasmus of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires has won the David Shepherd Trophy for the ICC Umpire of the Year 2016.
Erasmus was voted by the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees as well as the Test playing captains, and he beats off strong competition for this award from his colleagues Richard Illingworth, Bruce Oxenford and Richard Kettleborough.
Erasmus is the fifth umpire to win this prestigious award after Simon Taufel (2004 to 2008), Aleem Dar (2009-2011), Kumar Dharmasena (2012) and Richard Kettleborough (2013-2015).
Erasmus, 52, made his international debut in October 2007 in an ODI between Kenya and Canada at the Nairobi Gymkhana and was promoted to the elite panel in 2010.
Reacting to the news, Erasmus said: “David Shepherd has been one of the role models for many aspiring umpires and to win the trophy named after him is something to be really proud of. It has been an excellent period of international cricket and I consider myself extremely fortunate to be part of it.
