Twenty-seven years later, Jerling has stepped down from the first-class panel with South Africa’s democratic journey well underway. Being a television umpire is now a full-time job, and technology has progressed to the point of being integrated into the umpiring process.
So far as cricket careers go, Jerling’s has therefore coincided with one of the most interesting periods in the game.
Affectionately known as ‘The General’, Jerling’s time in cricket began in the Defence Forces in the 1970s and increasingly leaned towards umpiring over the next decade.
“When I was playing, I only played up to the third or fourth league, so I knew that I wouldn’t get into a situation of playing provincial cricket or Test cricket,” he says. “So I looked at umpiring and once I got into it, it bit me. I never looked back.”
As South Africa’s isolation came to an end, opportunities were opening up across the game. With time on his side, Jerling was able to make the most of them under the watch of an experienced umpire panel.
