Islamabad. Pakistan’s veteran umpire Aleem Dal has announced his retirement from umpiring. This stalwart, a former ICC elite umpire and three-time ‘World Cricket Umpire of the Year’, has announced his retirement in 2025 after the Pakistan domestic season. Recently he shared a painful story of his life. He had lost his 7-month-old daughter during the 2003 World Cup, but his wife hid this fact so that his umpiring was not affected.
He was included in the elite panel of umpires of the International Cricket Council (ICC) from 2003 to 2023. He is currently in the elite panel of Pakistan and is included among the four umpires of Pakistan in the ICC international panel. “Every great journey eventually comes to an end and now the time has come for me to concentrate completely on my social and philanthropic work,” Dar said on Friday.
Dar made his first-class umpiring debut in Pakistan’s domestic tournament Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in 1999 after playing 17 first-class matches and 18 List A matches from 1986–98. He has umpired in 145 Tests, 231 ODIs and 72 T20s and five T20 World Cups.
Wife hid the news of daughter’s death
Recently, 56 year old Aleem Dar had shared the most painful story of his life on a Pakistani channel. He told that when he was umpiring in the 2003 World Cup. Had lost 7 month old daughter. His wife and family members did not let the news of the newborn’s death reach them. Dar said in the show, “This was the beginning of my career as an ICC panel umpire. This World Cup was very important for my career. My family members knew that after getting the news of my daughter’s death, I would leave the tournament and return home immediately. That is why they hid this thing from me.
FIRST PUBLISHED : September 28, 2024, 06:58 IST