Marais Erasmus, former international umpire, once had an unexpected brush with airport security in Dubai, and the incident had little to do with anything remotely dangerous. A piece of equipment he carried for cricket matches was enough to trigger a serious misunderstanding, leaving the South African fearing he could end up behind bars. Erasmus shared the story on the ABC Sport commentary panel for the Australia vs South Africa Test series.
Cricket Tool That Sparked Security Scare
Recounting the moment, Erasmus explained just how close he thought he came to an uncomfortable night in custody.
He was carrying a ball gauge, a tool used by umpires to check whether a cricket ball has retained its proper shape. However, the airport official apparently had a very different interpretation of what she was looking at.
"I nearly spent the night in Dubai prison because the lady thought I had a sex tool with me, but it was just the ball gauge that we use to check if the ball is still round"
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"She thought it was handcuff, so I was nearly in trouble there," he added.
For someone accustomed to making crucial decisions on the cricket field, Erasmus found himself in a situation where a simple explanation was urgently needed.
Indian Baggage Handler Comes To The Rescue
Just when the misunderstanding threatened to escalate, help arrived from an unexpected source.
Erasmus credited an Indian baggage handler with stepping in and communicating with the officer.
The handler had some knowledge of Arabic and was able to clarify that the unusual-looking object was connected to cricket, rather than anything suspicious.
"My saviour was a baggage handler that came from India. He could speak a bit of Arabic. He explained to her that, 'No, no, no, cricket, cricket',"
That intervention helped clear up the confusion and spared Erasmus what could have been a far more serious ordeal.