Rudi Koertzen, who on Thursday became only the second umpire to officiate in 100 Tests, said Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara are the two cricketers he has highest regard for.

Less than a week after becoming the first umpire to stand in 200 One-Day Internationals, Koertzen on Thursday became the only person after Steve Bucknor to officiate in 100 Tests by taking the field in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s.

Looking back on his career, the 60-year-old South African said he was fortunate to have seen Tendulkar and Lara bat from close quarters.

“I have been fortunate and privileged to have seen some of the greatest modern day cricketers very closely. It would be unfair to pin-point one or two players but I have to name Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar for whom I have the greatest respect and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing them bat,” he said.

“They had amazing reflexes and used to pick up the ball as soon as it left the bowler’s hand which helped them make batting look very graceful and elegant due to their superb timing, excellent footwork, ability to hit the gaps and score runs off good balls. While Sachin continues to delight us with his batting, it was sad to see retire Brian in 2007,” Koertzen said.

“I don’t think you can replace batsmen like Sachin and Brian in a day or two. The batsmen of these qualities and class are born in years and we are so fortunate to have seen them when they were at their brilliant best,” he added.

Koertzen, who made his international debut in December 1992 in a match between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth, said he was still keen on improving.

“Obviously you feel proud when you know that among a galaxy of quality umpires you are only the second to complete century of Tests and the first to stand in 200 ODIs. But it was never a target that I had set for myself after making my first-class debut in 1981,” he said.

“I still have the fire in my belly to improve, umpire in more matches and continue to enjoy the sport which has given me respect and recognition,” said Koertzen, who also stood in the Super Series Test between Australia and the ICC World XI in Sydney in October 2005.

Koertzen singled out Adam Gilchrist for “the most ruthless display of stroke-play” when he scored 204 against South Africa at The Wanderers in February 2002.

Among the bowlers, he named Shane Warne as the stand out bowler while expressing his admiration for fast bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Allan Donald.

“He (Warne) used to get the best out of the umpires by putting a lot of pressure on them. On numerous occasions, he bowled from my end and I have always found him testing my decision-making,” Koertzen said.

On the present health of the game, Koertzen said, “I think cricket has never been healthier and it is all due to the fact that it is in very safe and capable hands. It is the only sport that offers three excellent formats which give options to everyone to go and enjoy.

“We are also embracing technology at the right time, after extensive research and considerable debate. The Umpire Decision Review System, which is being rolled out in Tests from 1 October, is an excellent initiative and will help the umpires to make more correct decisions which are already in mid-90s percentage-wise,” he added.

South African umpire Rudi Koertzen became the first to stand in 200 One-Day Internationals in the second ODI between Ireland and Kenya at Clontarf Cricket Club Ground on Saturday.

Koertzen, 60, made his international debut in the match between South Africa and India in Port Elizabeth December 1992 and since then has gone on to become one of the game’s most respected officials.

Koertzen is soon going to complete his century in Tests. The second Ashes Test between England and Australia at Lord’s July 16 will mark Koertzen’s 100th Test and will make him only the second umpire after Steve Bucknor (128 Tests and 181 ODIs) to complete the double.

A member of International Cricket Council’s Emirates Elite Panel of umpires since 2002, Koertzen stood in the 1999, 2003 and 2007 ICC Cricket World Cups and the ICC World Twenty20 2009.

“For someone who started umpiring very late in life, it is a huge personal achievement and a dream come true. It is really a great and satisfying feeling,” Koertzen said.

Sharing his international journey, he said: “It has been an exciting 17 years in the business. Every job has highs and lows and umpiring is no exception.

“Umpiring provided me the opportunity to travel, meet amazing people, understand different cultures but most importantly it was a privilege to see young talents become stalwarts.”

“It has been a very rewarding and a fascinating journey, something that I am proud of,” said Koertzen, who received a trophy from Cricket Ireland (CI) president Arthur Vince on behalf of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to mark the occasion.

Extending his wishes, ICC President David Morgan said: “Rudi’s achievement is a result of his tremendous dedication, commitment and fitness. Umpiring is something he wanted to do and his achievements reflect that he has done it with passion and hard work.”

West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor, who has officiated in a record 126 Tests, will retire from international matches in March. 

Bucknor, 62, told the Jamaica Gleaner that the third Test between South Africa and Australia in Cape Town would be his last international.

“I have notified the ICC that the South Africa vs Australia series will be my last Test series. The third Test, my last test,” said the Jamaican.

Bucknor, who hails from Montego Bay, said he felt physically able to continue but felt it was the right time to stand down.

“The body is feeling quite good and I know I could go on for two or three years. However, something inside me is telling me it is time to go,” he added.

The umpire, who was the first to officiate 100 Tests, said he hopes to work with the West Indies Cricket Board on developing new umpiring talent in the Caribbean.

“I still would like to continue making a contribution,” he said.

Bucknor has stood in 179 One-Day Internationals, including five consecutive World Cups.

The ICC on Wednesday appointed Sri Lankan Ranjan Madugalle as match referee for the two Twenty20 Internationals and the five-match one-day series between India and New Zealand, starting next week.

The Twenty20 matches would be officiated by local umpires, while the one-day series will have elite panel’s Rudi Koertzen of South Africa standing in with a local appointment.

Meanwhile, England’s Chris Broad will take charge of the two-Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The series, which gets underway in Karachi on February 21, will be umpired by Simon Taufel and Steve Davis.

The Test series between South Africa and Australia, starting February 26, will be refereed by Jeff Crowe.

Billy Bowden and Steve Bucknor will stand in the first Test in Johannesburg with another elite panelist, Asad Rauf, assuming the role of television umpire.

Bucknor and Rauf will swap their roles for the second Test to be staged in Durban while those two will come together as on-field umpires with Bowden as television umpire for the third Test to be played in Cape Town from March 19, an ICC statement said.

Appointments of match officials for other upcoming series will be announced in due course, the statement added.

Indian Cricket League is set to recruit two more English umpires despite the ECB’s efforts not to lose match officials to ICL. 

“We approached English first-class umpires because we were keen to maintain international standards,” Himanshu Mody, the business head of the ICL, said.

“We are still looking at England as a recruiting ground for umpires. In fact, we are in the process of bringing in two more English umpires to officiate in ICL,” Mody said.

The England and Wales Cricket Board is in the process of tying local umpires with 12-month contract to prevent an exodus, an attitude that drew flak from former pacer and ICL umpire Allan Jones.

“The current policy and attitude towards the ICL is wrong. They (ECB) don’t want ICL because it clashes with the IPL. The ECB are worried about security and betting. We had a small incident but the security is actually very good.

“Crowd is fantastic and the TV referrals system works brilliantly. It’s the most fun I’ve had standing up,” said Jones, who chose an early retirement from the ECB and signed an ICL contract until 2010.