Aleem Dar is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former cricketer. He was the first Pakistani to be included in the elite panel of ICC umpires and holds the record for officiating in the most number of Test matches and ODIs. In March 2023, he made headlines when he resigned from the elite panel after 19 years of service. Dar is the only Pakistani umpire to have won the ICC Umpire of the Year award three consecutive times.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Aleem Dar was born on Thursday, 6 June 1968 (age 55 years; as of 2023) in Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan. After completing his schooling, Dar obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities from Government Islamia College, Civil Lines, Lahore, Pakistan.
Aleem Dar at a young age
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 10″
Weight (Approx): 75 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family
Aleem Dar belongs to a middle-class Muslim family in Punjab, Pakistan.
parents and siblings
His father, Sarwar Dar, was a lawyer in the Pakistan Police and his mother was a housewife. He has three brothers, Naeem Dar, Wasim Dar and Azim Dar. Naeem Dar has served in the Pakistani Army and became an entrepreneur after his retirement.
Aleem with his brother Naeem and niece Zara
wife and children
Aleem is married to Noshaba Bano. The couple has two sons named Hasan Dar and Ali Dar. They had a daughter, Javeria, who died in 2003 at the age of 6 months due to epilepsy.
Aleem Dar with his wife Noshaba and sons Hassan and Ali
religion/religious views
Aleem Dar is a follower of Islam.
Signature
livelihood
player
In 1980, Aleem Dar relocated from Jhang to Lahore in the hope of becoming a Test cricketer. He started playing first-class cricket for P&T Gymkhana Club Lahore. He was a leg-spinning all-rounder. He appeared in 17 first-class matches and 18 List-A matches. In FC cricket he scored a total of 270 runs and took 11 wickets, while in List-A he scored 179 runs and took 15 wickets. Later, he played for several clubs including Pakistan Railways, Gujranwala Cricket Association and Income Tax Department in the BCCP Patron’s Trophy Grade II.
Aleem Dar practicing with the bat before the match
umpire
In 1996, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formed a group of umpires from among first-class cricketers, in which Dar was also included. Aleem Dar supervised their first-class match in 1999 which was played between Sargodha and LCCA. He officiated a total of 19 matches in his first season as an umpire. Seeing his performance, PCB included him in the international panel only after 15 months of his career.
Aleem Dar is monitoring the match as umpire.
On 16 February 2000, he made his One Day International (ODI) umpiring debut in the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at Gujranwala. With only one year’s experience, he was able to umpire an international match. In 2000, he umpired in several domestic national matches and later the same year, he was appointed TV umpire in the Rawalpindi Test against England.
Aleem Dar celebrates after the third umpire gives his decision in a match
On 21 October 2003, he umpired his first Test match between Bangladesh and England in Dhaka. He made his Twenty20 debut on 7 May 2009 in the match between Australia and Pakistan in Dubai.
Abdul Razzaq celebrates after raising the finger by Aleem Dar in Pak vs Australia 2009
In 2002, Aleem Dar’s consistent performances earned him a place on the ICC International Umpire Panel. In 2003, he was selected to officiate in the ICC World Cup in South Africa and later became a member of the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, the first Pakistani to do so. On 17 October 2007, he reached the milestone of umpiring 100 ODI matches in just 7 years, becoming the 10th umpire worldwide and the first Pakistani to achieve this feat.
Aleem Dar was honored on completing his 100 ODIs
Aleem officiated in the finals of the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, 2007 Cricket World Cup and 2010 ICC World Twenty20. He also officiated in matches at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Cricket World Cups. In March 2023, Aleem Dar resigned from the elite panel of ICC umpires after officiating in a record 444 international matches. As of 2023, Aleem holds the record for umpiring in most Test matches (145) and ODIs (229). Discussing his career as a member of the elite panel, he said,
It’s been a long journey, but I’ve enjoyed every part of it. I have had the pleasure and honor of umpiring around the world and what I have achieved is something I could not have even dreamed of when I started in this profession.”
Aleem Dar receives guard of honor after umpiring his last match as a member of the elite panel of ICC umpires
Controversy
Suspension from T20 Championship 2007
During the 2007 World Cup final match between Australia and Sri Lanka, umpire Aleem Dar created controversy by allowing Australia to bowl three extra overs in the dark. This decision was taken due to Dar’s lack of knowledge about the playing conditions of the Duckworth–Lewis system. As a result of this controversial decision, Dar and other officials including Steve Bucknor, Rudy Curtzen, Billy Bowden and Jeff Crowe were suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) from their duties during the 2007 World Twenty20 Championship.
Aleem Dar with Billy Bowden
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- ICC David Shepherd Trophy: Umpire of the Year 2009, 2010, 2011
Aleem Dar with his Player of the Year Award 2009
- Presidential Pride of Performance 2010 by Government of Pakistan
- Awarded by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for officiating in the 2011 World Cup with 100% track record.
Pakistan Cricket Board chief honoring Aleem Dar
- Awarded by ICC (International Cricket Council) for umpiring 150 ODI matches in 2012
- Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) by the Government of Pakistan in 2013.
Favorite
- Model: Steve Buckner, Ather Zaidi
Aleem Dar discussing something with Steve Buckner during a match
Facts/General Knowledge
- Aleem Dar is the first umpire to officiate in 500 international matches.
Aleem Dar had the distinction of becoming the first umpire to officiate in 500 international matches.
- He offered free meals to unemployed people at his restaurant, Dars Delight Lahore, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Aleem Dar maintains his fitness and health for the matches by working out, playing table tennis and ensuring he gets eight hours of sleep every day.
- Disappointed with his performance in cricket, he moved to America and started working as a cab driver before becoming an umpire.
- ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) exam 2020 topper Zara Naeem Dar is Aleem Dar’s niece.
Aleem Dar giving the family trophy to his niece Zara Naeem Dar
- His other niece, Halima Dar, is a cricketer and played in the ICC Under-19 Women’s World Cup 2023.
Halima Dar during Under-19 World Cup
- Aleem Dar was nominated for the ICC David Shepherd Trophy in 2005 and 2006.
- To honor Aleem Dar, PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has named the umpire’s room at Gaddafi Stadium in Karachi after him.
- He dedicated his third consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year award to the victims of floods and dengue disease in Pakistan.
- Asad Rauf and Aleem Dar both made their ODI debut in the same match in 2000.
- His performance in the 2011 World Cup was excellent. Every one of the 15 challenges raised by the players to their decisions were unsuccessful. Impressed by his performance, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Government of Pakistan honored him.
Imran Khan honored Aleem Dar after his brilliant performance in the 2011 World Cup.
- In 2005, umpires Aleem Dar and Steve Buckner received death threats during a Test match between England and South Africa at Centurion.
- In 2015, Aleem was withdrawn by the ICC after umpiring 3 matches in the India-South Africa 5-match ODI series. ICC (International Cricket Council) withdrew them citing fear of security breach after Shiv Sena members stormed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office and threatened to stop the umpire from officiating in the fifth ODI Was.
- He is constantly making efforts to improve the condition of the players. He opened the Aleem Dar Cricket Academy (ADCA) in Jowar City, Lahore, Pakistan, where he provides free training to deaf students. He has also advocated for an increase in the salaries of umpires in Pakistan to encourage skilled and young players to pursue this career path.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn