Rudi Koertzen "killed in car crash" aged 73 as tributes are paid to respected umpire

Koertzen, who stood in 108 Test matches, is reported to have been killed along with three others following a head-on collision in the town of Riversdale in the Western Cape province of his native country on Tuesday (August 9)

Former international umpire Rudi Koertzen has died in a car crash, according to media in South Africa.

Koertzen, who stood in 108 Test matches, is reported to have been killed along with three others following a head-on collision in the town of Riversdale in the Western Cape province of his native country on Tuesday (August 9).

The 73-year-old's son, Rudi Koertzen Jnr, was quoted by local radio station Algoa FM News as saying: "He went on a golf tournament with some of his friends, and they were expected to come back on Monday, but it seems they decided to play another round of golf."

Koertzen Jnr said his father was killed on impact, according to the Algoa FM report. 

^{Rudi Koertzen has reportedly died in a road traffic collision [Getty Images]}

Koertzen retired from officiating in 2010, having stood in 209 one-day internationals and 15 T20Is in addition to his Test service. 

He was widely respected across the game, with his trademark slow finger raise becoming iconic.

The South African was in the middle on several notable occasions in recent cricket history: he was the man who removed the bails at The Oval at the end of England's famous 2005 Ashes series win, he stood in the infamous 2000 Test at Centurion which was later found to be the subject of a match-fixing effort involving Hansie Cronje, and he was third umpire during the 2007 World Cup final and its controversial conclusion in bad light. 

South Africa's cricketers paid an immediate tribute to Koertzen by wearing black armbands on day one of their red-ball warmup match against England Lions at Canterbury on Tuesday, while praise poured in for the former umpire on social media.

Two heavyweights of the umpiring community paid their respects to a former colleague.

^{Koertzen's international umpiring career spanned 18 years, and his slow finger raise was iconic [Getty Images]}

Aleem Dar was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying: "It is a very big loss foremost for his family and then for South Africa and cricket. I stood in so many games with him. He was not only very good as an umpire but also an excellent colleague, always very cooperative on field and also always willing to help off the field. Because of the way he was, he was also well-respected by players."

Marais Erasmus, said: "Rudi was such a strong character, physically and mentally. He paved the way for South African umpires to get to the world stage. Made us all believe it's possible. A true legend. As a young umpire a learnt a lot from him."

Koertzen was still involved in cricket in his hometown of Despatch, whose cricket club posted an emotional statement on Facebook.

"A legend in his own right passed away this morning and will definitely leave a great void in the cricket world," it read. "We want to express our heartfelt sympathy and empathy to Uncle Rudi Koertzen's family and loved ones."