Aleem Dar gets a grand goodbye from the ICC Elite Panel
Aleem Dar, a well-known Pakistani umpire, got a guard of honor after his last Test match as an ICC Elite Panel judge on Friday in Mirpur. The match was between Bangladesh and Ireland.
In the last match Dar was in charge of, Bangladesh won by seven wickets on the last day after chasing down a goal of 138 runs.
In a press statement on March 16, the ICC said that Dar had left the elite panel after 19 years.
“Dar has been a well-known world umpire for a long time. He made his international debut in 2000 and quickly moved up the ranks. Players and fans praised him for making good decisions during games, the ICC said.
“Dar was put on the ICC International Panel of Umpires in 2002, and he worked at the 2003 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa. In 2004, Dar became a member of the ICC’s Elite Panel of Umpires. This was another step in his rise. He was the first person from Pakistan to be put on the Elite Panel,” the report said.
Dar was a referee for a total of 438 international games during his long career.
“Aleem’s contribution to international cricket and to the ICC has been truly remarkable,” said Geoff Allardice, the CEO of the ICC. His consistently great play over such a long time earned him a lot of respect from everyone in world cricket. I hope Aleem has a great future, and I’m sure he’ll keep playing the game for many years to come.”
Dar also talked about his career as a referee. Between 2009 and 2011, he was chosen as the ICC referee of the Year for three years in a row.
“It’s been a long trip, but I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve had the pleasure and honor of being an umpire all over the world, and what I’ve done is something I didn’t even think was possible when I first got into the business, Dar said.
“I still want to be an international referee, but after 19 years on the road, I thought it was time for me to step down from the Elite panel and give someone from the International panel a chance. Umpires all over the world should work hard, be disciplined, and never stop learning, he said.