It was back in the late 1990s that I first encountered Rudi Koertzen. I, a budding statistician for the Border Cricket Union and him, a seasoned provincial umpire. Even then, in the modest arena of Buffalo Park in East London, standing up to the likes of Ottis Gibson and Allan Donald, it was evident that the unassuming umpire from Knysna had the mettle to crack it in the big leagues.

More than a decade later Koertzen has, indeed, gone on to achieve those lofty heights amidst the ebbs and flows of world cricket and its penchant for controversy, which Koertzen's career has never been short of, and now written a book.

Whether he was enjoying the blow-by-blow epic of the Ashes, witnessing the planet's finest batsmen in action from 22 yards away, officiating in countless meaningless ODI series, playing his erroneous part in the infamous Centurion Test of 2000 and the farcical 2007 World Cup final, Koertzen now recounts the highs and lows of his extensive career in Slow Death: Memoirs Of A Cricket Umpire.

To say that a large percentage of Koertzen's 200-plus ODIs and 100-plus Tests are covered extensively in the opening eight chapters is an understatement, and one has to wonder how much real insight from the man of the moment took a back seat to co-author Chris Schoeman's apparent love of numbers.

True, cricket is by and large a game fuelled by runs, wickets, results and averages, but so much of the book's opening 90-odd pages could've been dedicated to more of an inside scoop from Koertzen and much less on a mundane, statistical front.

Thankfully, the first half of the publication sports a string of highlights witnessed by Koertzen to keep readers wanting more - Shoaib Akhtar (in his prime, remember that?) versus Justin Langer in 2004, Shane Warne's arm-twisting appealing, the development of Jacques Kallis and the emergence of Kevin Pietersen, to name but a few.

One can't begrudge 'Slow Death' his recollection of an endless slew of matches for this is, after all, the memories of a cricket umpire, but it's a welcome relief when the book eventually cuts to its core: the 2007 World Cup, match-fixing over the years and the progressive use of technology in the game.

The 2007 showpiece in the Caribbean will be remembered for three things - it's ludicrous length, the tragic passing of Bob Woolmer and the absurd end to its final - and while Koertzen doesn't really offer anything one could've read in the press at the time on the former points, his take on the Barbados damp squib between the Aussies and Sri Lankans demands attention. While so many have used the platform of an autobiography to defend themselves in the past, Koertzen - third umpire on the day - humbly fesses up for his mistakes, as well as those of his on-field colleagues.

Recent taboos in English county competition, the now-defunct Indian Cricket League and, possibly, Lalit Modi's brainchild - the Indian Premier League - have raised the match-fixing debate again of late, with Koertzen - himself admittedly free of reproach - recollecting the days of Hansie-Gate in the chapter curtly titled 'Match Fixing'. Despite the touchy nature of the subject, Koertzen is more than happy to delve into Cronje and company's run-in with the long arm of the law and other cash-influence incidents before and since.

He all but closes the meaty part of his book with a passage on the arrival of the Umpire Decision Review System and its various tweaks. The veteran official is entirely pro the use of advanced technology to its fullest extent and one standout paragraph sums up his thoughts on the way the game is played without it: "A batsman will nick the ball, then stand there and wait for the umpires to make the decision. To me, that's nothing but cheating."

A sentimental couple of chapters on the game's greatest players and related records brings the ensemble to a close, with Adam Gilchrist - who fetches consistent praise throughout the book - head and shoulders above the rest in aggression and sportsmanship, in Rudi's opinion.

Bar a couple of editorial clangers (Chris Cairns an off-spinner? Craig White of Australia?), Slow Death: Memoirs Of A Cricket Umpire is an entirely sound read, and although it could have done with more of a chronological order, readers will undoubtedly get a definitive feel for the sheer enormity of Koertzen's stay on the international stage and perhaps more importantly develop a newfound respect for the life, times and pressure of being an international umpire.

Jonhenry Wilson

Cricket365 are giving away five copies of Slow Death: Memoirs Of A Cricket Umpire (Zebra Press, R200). To win, tell us what Rudi Koertzen's on-field nickname is. Use 'Koertzen Competition' in the subject line and e-mail your name and answer to jonhenry.wilson@teamtalkmedia.co.za and we will take it from there.