Happily, Erasmus is interested in more than cricket. Which is how the word "orbit" gets into the subtitle. There's the story of a compass fetched from a ship-breaking yard in Chattogram, and the suspicion of sex toys in his luggage in Dubai. There's match-fixing, the pandemic and shaking hands with a real-life dictator.

A light is shone on the good work done by umpires below the elite level. How Australians came to believe that 87 is the "Devil's Number" is revealed, along with the atmosphere inside the Lord's dining room in the tense moments after Alex Carey stumped Jonny Bairstow in 2023. And, of course, the drama and aftermath of the 2019 men's World Cup final.

This book covers Erasmus on all sides of the boundary. Because cricket can't be played without umpires, and umpires have lives that go far beyond the game.

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