Koertzen’s first international series was India’s tour of South Africa in 1992-93; his first game was the second ODI in Gqeberha (then Port Elizabeth). He went on to become one of the best and most well-respected umpires in the world, and won praise in September 1999 for refusing a bribe to manipulate a match between West Indies and India in Singapore. The 2007 World cup final, however, was a blip in his career: Koertzen was the third umpire in that match in Barbados, where the officials came in for criticism – and were penalised by the ICC – following a chaotic finish to the game.
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