The legendary career of Aleem Dar as an umpire on the ICC’s Elite Panel has come to an end. After officiating a record 435 men’s Tests, ODIs, and T20Is, including four World Cup finals, the 54-year-old has resigned. Yet, this does not signify the end of his international cricket career. Dar can continue to work home matches in Pakistan whenever the PCB selects him to do so. When the International Panel of Umpires is reformed, he may also be able to go on tour if he secures a position in the International Panel of Umpires, a level below Elite.
Dar stated in a statement released by the ICC on Thursday, “I have had the pleasure and honor of umpiring all around the world, and what I have accomplished is something I could not have imagined when I began my career.”
“While I am still eager to continue as an international umpire, I decided it was time, after 19 years on the road, to step down from the Elite panel and give someone from the International Panel a chance. My advice to umpires around the world is to work diligently, keep discipline, and never cease learning.”
Dar has refereed the most men’s Tests (144) and ODIs (222) and was the first Pakistani umpire to be named to the Elite Panel in 2002. He appeared in the finals of the ODI and T20 World Cups in 2007 and 2011, respectively. Beginning in 2009, he earned the David Shepherd trophy for umpire of the year three years in a row.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Dar has been contemplating resigning for some time, even before the Covid-19 pandemic. But, the resulting lack of games and travel limitations prevented him from acting on it.
Dar thanked the ICC, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and his fellow panel members for their support over the years. “Without the support of my family, I would not have been able to continue for so long. I look forward to continuing to officiate the game “.
The ICC added two additional umpires to its Elite Panel, bringing the total to twelve. Adrian Holdstock (South Africa) and Ahsan Raza (Pakistan) are the only players to have stood in more men’s T20Is than Dar’s 69. They join a list that also includes Chris Gaffaney (New Zealand), Kumar Dharmasena (Sri Lanka), Marais Erasmus (South Africa), Michael Gough (England), Nitin Menon (India), Paul Reiffel (Australia), Richard Illingworth (England), Richard Kettle (West Indies).
Holdstock has officiated in five Tests, forty-two One-Day Internationals, and forty-eight Twenty-Twenty Internationals, while Ahsan has officiated in seven Tests, forty-one One-Day Internationals, and seventy-two Twenty-Twenty Internationals. Both officials served on the panels for the 2021 and 2022 men’s T20 World Cups.
