Former Otago opening batsman Chris Gaffaney will experience the ultimate honour in officiating this weekend.
Gaffaney will become the 479th test umpire, after being appointed to officiate the test between Zimbabwe and South Africa in Harare starting tomorrow.
He will be the first New Zealand umpire to make his test debut in 13 years, and will become the 50th New Zealander to umpire at test level.
Gaffaney is to be joined in the middle by Pakistan umpire Aleem Dar.
New Zealand Cricket match officials manager Rodger McHarg said Gaffaney, who had been umpiring at first-class level since 2008, was more than deserving of the opportunity.
''Chris has put in a lot of hard work to get to where he is now and we're extremely pleased to see him given the chance to make the step up,''McHarg said.
''There's nothing more satisfying for an umpire than the opportunity to perform on the international stage. It will be a proud moment for him and one that I'm sure that he will learn a lot from.''
