Umpire of the Year

Marais Erasmus won the David Shepherd Trophy for the Umpire of the Year for 2016 while Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq won the Spirit of Cricket Award.

Erasmus was voted by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) elite panel match referees as well as the Test playing captains, and he beats off strong competition for this award from his colleagues Richard Illingworth, Bruce Oxenford and Richard Kettleborough.

Erasmus is the fifth umpire to win this prestigious award after Simon Taufel (2004 to 2008), Aleem Dar (2009-2011), Kumar Dharmasena (2012) and Richard Kettleborough (2013-2015).

Erasmus, 52, made his international debut in October 2007 in a One-Day International (ODI) between Kenya and Canada at the Nairobi Gymkhana and was promoted to the elite panel in 2010.

The 42-year-old Misbah is the first Pakistan player to win the award with the previous winners being M.S. Dhoni (2011), Daniel Vettori (2012), Mahela Jayawardena (2013), Katherine Brunt (2014) and Brendon McCullum (2015).

New Zealand also won this award in 2004, 2009 and 2010, England in 2005 and 2006, and Sri Lanka in 2007 and 2008.