Slow Death: Memoirs of a Cricket Umpire

by Rudi Koertzen

Rudi Koertzen is one of world cricket's most experienced and respected umpires. In a career spanning 29 years, he has stood in 100 Test matches and 200 One Day Internationals. (To date, he is the only umpire to have stood in 200 ODIs.) The slow and deliberate way in which he raises his left arm to give a batsman out has given rise to his nickname, Slow Death, which gives this memoir its title. The title takes the reader back to some of the most important highlights in Test, ODI and T20 matches over the past three decades, including several World Cups and Ashes series. It also covers the controversial side of international cricket, from match fixing to terrorist attacks. And Rudi gives his views on the use of technology in cricket, looking at the pros and cons of the umpire decision review system (UDRS).

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2010

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I come away from this memoir feeling like Rudi Koertzen is a stand-up guy and someone I would like to chat cricket with, I don't really feel like I know very much about what it is to be an international umpire beyond the annual schedule.

The trap he and his writer have fallen into is that of being caught up in stats. Too many chapters read like a list of results and noteworthy performances. Rudi's insights and personal stories are too few and far between amongst this wash of dry stats that can be found on any cricket website.

Even in the chapters about match-fixing, and the use of technology I get the feeling that Rudi is holding back. Some of the latter chapters rely too much on quotes taken from other sources. I bought this book because I wanted to see international cricket through Rudi's eyes, from the privileged position he has held behind the stumps for many years. Unfortunately, I have been treated to only the occasional anecdote scattered amongst a long list of matches and scores.

[Gary Steele · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting book about a great umpire and servant to the game. I was disappointed that the book merely reported on the games, the statistics and the weather over his career. I would have liked him to discuss his experiences and views so that I could learn about the person. The majority of the information in the book could have been written by a third party who did their research well.