LANGTON Rusere will tomorrow make history as he becomes the first black African umpire to stand in a Test match when he takes to the field in the first Test match between Zimbabwe and Pakistan at Harare Sports Club.
Rusere who will be turning 36 in July got an early birthday present when he was appointed as one of the two on-field umpires alongside the experienced South African Marais Erasmus, a veteran of 62 Tests, whom Rusere can call upon if the going gets tough.
He becomes the fourth Zimbabwean to umpire in Tests after Kevan Barbour, the late Ian Robinson and Rusell Tiffin.
The former Victoria High School student has on three occasions been involved in Test matches albeit as a TV Umpire.
Rusere has come through ICC Umpire’s pathway system and his consistent performances have earned him a chance at umpiring the pinnacle of the game which does not only test players character and mental fortitude over five days but umpires too.
Not having played first-class or international cricket, the ground story of the Masvingo born umpire is an intriguing one, one of defying all odds and silencing naysayers who said only those that played at the highest level can become great umpires.
The meteoric rise of Rusere saw him carve out his name in domestic cricket moving up the ranks to the first-class circuit, the potential he exhibited saw him win many accolades chief among them being named Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) Umpire of the year many times.
The domestic scene became too small for his potential and in 2014 through board to board bilateral relations between Cricket South Africa and ZC, Rusere officiated in South Africa’s three-day games and T20 domestic competition.
2015 was a good year for Rusere as made his white-ball cricket international debuts as an on-field umpire.
In July of that year, he made his T20I debut at Harare Sports Club when Zimbabwe hosted India and in October made his ODI debut when Afghanistan played Zimbabwe in a five-match series.
Rusere’s shining star continued in 2018 when he became the first Zimbabwean umpire to stand in the final of a major global cricket tournament as one of the on-field umpires for the Women’s World T20I final between Australia and England.
He has also become a permanent feature in the Caribbean Premier League, one of the best global T20 tournaments.
Besides officiating at countless Under-19 World Cups, Rusere has been appointed by ICC as a mentor umpire for the World Cricket League Division Two as they tried to inspire the next generation of umpires in the lower ranks of international cricket.
Another highlight of Rusere’s international career was being appointed as an umpire for a bilateral three-match ODI series between New Zealand and India which was played last year.
Currently, Rusere and Iknow Chabi are the two Zimbabweans on the Emirates ICC International Panel of Umpires.
With one slot vacant on the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, all eyes will be on Rusere in the next fortnight.
A source within ICC umpiring structures confirmed to EnterSportNews that Rusere is one of the five umpires on ICC’s radar to fill in one vacant spot in the upper ranks with his correct decision ratio, last year’s ODI series between New Zealand and India was a good litmus test for him and he passed with flying colours. In my book probably this is his final chance to impress and get a seat on the table of cricket elite umpires” said the source who did not want to be named.
This is a huge opportunity for Rusere and Zimbabwe, the Southern Africa nation has not been represented on the Elite Panel since 2009 when Tiffin umpired in his last test in the Caribbean Island when West Indies played England.
