The Ump has officially launched his brand new exclusive column in Cricket Fanatics Magazine, join him on his journey as he aims to make umpiring “sexy”.

I am sure many of you, just as I, had boyish dreams of making it B-I-G in Cricket. Playing for the Proteas like “White lightning” or “Gogga Adams” but something went wrong down the line.

Perhaps when you became older you also, just as I, developed this funny looking thing around your waist. Perhaps life just got in the way and the cricket dream faded into the background.

Still every weekend you go out onto the amateur cricket field, the same passion fuelling a good sledge or blaming a teammate, an opposing teammate or the umpire for the duck you scored or the 12 wides you bowled.

For me the dream was the same but I followed the road less travelled into the ‘secret society’, the dark arts of becoming an umpire. 

For me it started in an ice cold dark room one Friday afternoon back in 2012. Where a group of us sat listening to an experienced umpire talking about the laws of the game, but you have to keep in mind that all of us knew (well, we thought we knew) every little thing about the laws of the game.

There was nothing he could teach us, right?

We play cricket every Saturday, we obviously know the game. But, boy, was I surprised about how little I knew about the 42 laws and the wonderfully complex game I love so much. And how much I learned in my time as an aspiring umpire and even still do, to this day. I’ve had the privilege of witnessing the raw talent of many players before they went pro. 

I’d like to invite you on the journey of making umpiring sexy (#bringingsexyback). And share with you the other side of the coin. The dark side where only a few brave women and men dare to go. I’ve learned that teamwork and camaraderie is just as important to the umpires as it is to the cricket team. 

Suddenly all lives are equal in front of an index finger. It is only you and 0.12 of a second you have to make a decision, where eleven people shout at you while you politely tell them to keep quiet by the shake of your head. Where a batman pleads his innocence but you can see the guilt it in his eyes.

That’s when relying on and trusting your own judgement and that of your square-leg umpire is of all-importance. It’s having the best seat in the house to watch this marvellous spectacle unfold in front of your eyes that still gives me a thrill, and sometimes the chills.

It is my hope that you will join me on this journey into discovering the finer details of our game and learning as much as possible, that you too can one day have the best seat in the house if that is your wish. Or maybe you’d just like having the knowledge to settle a hypothetical argument at your local watering hole, that’s also quite a thrill.

Let’s make umpiring sexy together.