Aleem Dar makes history, a man who took up umpiring after playing first-class cricket in Pakistan. His playing career as a middle-order batsman and leg-spinner may have been unremarkable, lasting a decade without achieving great heights, but his umpiring career has been a vastly different story, marked by numerous prestigious records and a legacy of excellence.
Aleem Dar Makes History; How Did It All Start?
Aleem Dar’s umpiring journey commenced with the commencement of the 21st century at the age of 32 on February 16, 2000, in a Pakistan-Sri Lanka match in his home town Gujranwala, and his exceptional skills were swiftly acknowledged. Just four years later, in 2004, he made history by becoming the first Pakistani umpire to be appointed to the prestigious ICC Elite Umpire Panel, marking a significant milestone in his illustrious career.
Dar’s first test match adjudication was on October 21, 2003, in Dhaka, when Bangladesh were competing against Australia. Moreover, he judged his first T20I match at Dubai Stadium in the Pakistan vs Australia series on May 7, 2009. Since then he has officiated in 231 ODI matches, 145 Test matches and 70 T20 Internationals. He has officiated in more matches than any other umpire ever.
Interesting to Read: Shaheen Afridi’s Captaincy Snub: PCB Reveals the Inside Story
Dar achieved unprecedented records in these years that are likely to stand for a long time
Aleem Dar’s achievements as a cricket umpire are unparalleled, and his records are unlikely to be broken shortly. In 2010 and 2013, he was honored with pride of performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz by the government of Pakistan.
Dar has officiated more men’s Tests (144) and ODIs (222) than anybody else and was the first Pakistan umpire to be named on the Elite Panel back when it was first established in 2002. He stood in the final of the ODI World Cup in 2007 and 2011 and the T20 World Cup in 2010 and 2012. He won the David Shepherd trophy for umpire of the year three times(he was nominated six times), back-to-back, starting in 2009.
He stood in Ashes for the first time in the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia. His impeccable umpiring skills were evident in the 2011 World Cup, where none of the 15 reviews against his decisions was successful. He officiated in five 50-over World Cups and seven T20 World Cups. He was also one of the on-field umpires in the 2009 Women’s World Cup.
Aleem Dar held a coveted spot on the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires for an impressive 19 years, a testament to his consistency and excellence, before stepping down from his role in March 2023, leaving behind a legacy of exceptional umpiring.
I have had the pleasure and honor of umpiring the world over and what I have achieved is something I did not even dream of when I started in the profession,” Dar said in a statement released by the ICC at that time.
Also Read:
