adminZIMBABWE umpire, Langton Rusere, has added another feather to his cap after he was appointed to officiate in the three-match One-Day International series between New Zealand and India.
This is his first ever overseas appointment for a bilateral series. Rusere was one of the on-field umpires for the first ODI at Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday.
The 34-year-old match official will be the television umpire for the second game at Auckland’s Eden Park on Saturday. Rusere will then stand again in the third and final ODI between two of the world’s best cricket teams pencilled for next Tuesday at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
India and New Zealand are currently placed second and third in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings. Rusere has not looked back since he stood in his first international match, the Twenty20 international between Zimbabwe and India at Harare Sports Club, on 19 July 2015.
Three months later, he made his ODI bow in the match between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on 24 October 2015.
After making his mark at the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2016 in Bangladesh, he went on to do duty at the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 in England. As his stock continued to rise, he was appointed as one of the on-field umpires for the ICC Women’s World T20 2018 final between Australia and England that was played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua in November 2018. Rusere had also stood in the semi-final between Australia and the West Indies at the same venue.
Now, with the New Zealand versus India ODI series added to his résumé, only the sky can be the limit for the hardworking Zimbabwean umpire. — zimcricket.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu