Man in the middle doesn't want to be centre of attention

He has been a top umpire for a decade but Marais Erasmus admits the butterflies in his belly flutter out of formation before big matches.

However, South Africa's premier umpire, who is the country's only representative at the ICC Champions Trophy which starts in England this week, was a picture of calm before his departure for the tournament.

"If you don't get butterflies, you shouldn't do the job," he said sagely.

"I've been an international umpire for 10 years and your nerves still get hold of you before a game. It's got to be like that. If you are a little nervous, it means your adrenaline is flowing."

For whatever reason, Erasmus will place and lift the bails in matches predominantly featuring teams from the subcontinent, in particular India.

He will be in the middle for India's warm-up game against Bangladesh and during the tournament, he will be involved in matches between India's potentially volatile clash against Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, England against Australia, as well as Pakistan versus Sri Lanka.

Does he see it as a feather in his cap that such a demanding team with all its devotees prefer to have him officiate their matches? "I've umpired in so many of their games maybe they can trust me by now," he quipped. "That will be my first time standing in a match between India and Pakistan.

"This one will be in Birmingham and the Asian community there is quite large, so it will probably feel like you're in Delhi or Kolkatta."

While he doesn't necessarily expect fireworks in that clash, he does stress that umpires try to arrive prepared for all eventualities.

"We get together and we discuss the characters who will be involved in a match. Some guys are more emotional than others, so you discuss the things that are likely to come up during the game so that you are not confronted by too many surprises," he said. "We go to the nets. You look at players you haven't seen before."

The biggest thrill Erasmus gets is from vindication once he has made a call. "It has to be when you make the right call in that big moment.

"Sometimes you don't even know it is that difficult a call because you're in the moment and react to what you've just witnessed. When you experience the opposite it's about how you handle it. With DRS proving you wrong, guys can get a little emotional and it hurts on the inside."