Umpire Aleem Dar steps down from ICC’s Elite Panel
Umpire Aleem Dar stepped down from ICC’s Elite Panel on Thursday after officiating in 435 international matches. Meanwhile, South Africa’s Adrian Holdstock and Pakistan’s Ahsan Raza have been added in the panel.
Dar, who has been on the panel since its inception in the year 2002, has officiated in more Tests and ODIs than any other umpire and is second in T20Is, behind compatriot Raza.
“It has been a long journey, but I have enjoyed every bit of it. I have had the pleasure and honour of umpiring the world over and what I have achieved is something I did not even dream of when I started in the profession,” he said.
“Though I am still keen to continue as an international umpire, I felt it was now the right time, after 19 years on the road to step away from the Elite panel and provide an opportunity to someone from the International Panel. My message to umpires the world over is to work hard, maintain discipline and never stop learning. I thank the ICC, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and my colleagues on the panel for their support over the years. I would also like to thank my family; without whose support I could not have gone on for so long. I look forward to continuing to serve the game as an umpire,” he added.
Dar has officiated in 144 Tests and 222 ODIs as well as 69 T20Is. He also stood in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and 2011 as well as the finals of ICC T20 WC 2010 and 2012.
He was the first Pakistani umpire to be part of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires and won the David Shepherd Trophy three years in a row – 2009, 2010 and 2011
In total, he stood in five ICC CWC tournaments and seven ICC T20 WC tournaments.
