In a one-off test match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh defeated Ireland by 7 wickets during the afternoon session of day 4 earlier today. This test match also marked the end of an illustrious journey of Aleem Dar as an ICC Elite Panel umpire, who hails from Pakistan.
To mark the occasion, the Bangladeshi and Irish players alongside the other match officials gave a richly deserved guard of honour to Dar for his immense contributions to the game of cricket. He had earlier announced his decision to step away from officiating international cricket matches as a part of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires after continuing in the job for over 19 years. Furthermore, Aleem Dar is still keen on umpiring in international cricket if he is called upon by PCB or ICC to do the same.
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According to the ICC press release, Aleem Dar was happy to relinquish his place in the elite panel and sent out a message to the umpires who are willing to get to his level. “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.
“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.”
During his long career, Aleem Dar officiated in 439 international cricket matches including 145 Tests, 225 ODIs, and 69 T20Is. He also umpired in 4 ICC Cricket World Cup finals and won the David Shepherd Trophy for the ICC Umpire of the Year from 2009 to 2011.
“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,” Dar concluded as per the ICC press release.