Former South African umpire Rudi Koertzen, labelled the 'slow finger of death' by the media, has died in a car accident, a family member told AFP on Tuesday. He was 73. As soon as the news came cricket fraternity condole the dimes of Koertzen. Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag was the first one to pay tribute to Koertzen while Yuvraj Singh also wrote a Tweet. 



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"Vale Rudi Koertzen ! Om Shanti. Condolences to his family. Had a great relation with him. Whenever I used to play a rash shot, he used to scold me saying, “Play sensibly, I want to watch your batting”. One he wanted to buy a particular brand of cricket pads for his son (cont)," Sehwag wrote in his Tweet. 



Yuvraj Singh also wrote,"Tragic news of the sudden passing away of Rudi Koertzen. He was a gifted individual and one of the finest umpires the game has witnessed, known for his sharp decision making abilities. My deepest condolences to his family and well wishers  #RudiKoertzen."


"Rudi suffered fatal injuries after an accident near Stilbaai between Cape Town and Gqeberha," said the family spokesperson, who requested anonymity. "My father went to a golf tournament with some friends and they were expected to come back on Monday, but it seems they decided to play another round of golf," his son Rudi told a Gqeberha radio station.


The South African team will wear black armbands on Wednesday in honour of Koertzen when they face England at Lord's in London in a Test match. Koertzen first umpired in 1981, handled his maiden international assignment 11 years later, and retired in 2010 after a Test between Australia and Pakistan in Leeds, England. He became known as the 'slow finger of death' because he very slowly raising his finger whenever indicating a batsman was out. 


"Every umpire has their trademark and that was mine. The media labelled it the 'slow finger of death' and I found that pretty interesting. There is a story behind it," Koertzen said in an interview. "When my umpiring career first began, I used to hold my hands in front of me and every time there was an appeal, I would fold them against my ribs," said Koertzen. 


"Then someone told me 'Rudi, you cannot do that. Every time you raise your hands to fold them, the bowler thinks you are going to give him a wicket'." "So I started clasping my wrists at the back. The finger comes out slowly because it takes time for me to release my grasp at the back."