Umpire Rudi Koertzen, along with three other people died in a head-on collision near Riversdale on Tuesday, news reports from South Africa revealed.

The 73-year-old was on his way back home from Cape Town after a golf weekend when the tragic incident took place. His son, Rudi Koertzen Jr said, "He went on a golf tournament with some of his friend, and they were expected to come back on Monday, but it seems they decided to play another round of golf."

He stood in a record 209 ODIs and is one of just three umpires to officiate in over 100 Tests. Koertzen officiated in a record 209 ODIs, surpassing iconic umpire David Shepherd's record of 172 ODIs after the Cricket World Cup match between the West Indies and England in 2007.

He also became the second umpire, after Steve Bucknor, to officiate in 100 Test matches, finishing with 108 Tests to his name.

He officiated his final ODI on June 9 2010 between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka at Harare and his final Test match from July 21-24 between Pakistan and Australia at Leeds.