In a heartwarming gesture players from Ireland and Bangladesh gave Pakistan’s Aleem Dar a Guard of Honour as he walked off the field for the final time as an ICC Elite Panel Umpire.
Dar was officiating his final match between the two sides at Mirpur during the only test of Ireland’s tour of Bangladesh.
After a comprehensive 7-wicket win for the hosts, the players from two sides lined up to pay their respects to the 54-year-old who called it a career in March after a 19-year tenure.
The former domestic cricketer is considered one of the finest officials in the history of the game.
He won the prestigious ICC Umpire of the Year for three consecutive years from 2009 while finishing up as a runner-up twice.
Since standing in his first game in 2000, an ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Dar has gone on to officiate the most test matches in history with 145, most ODIs with 225 and second-most T20I matches with 69.
He has also performed his duties in four ICC event finals as well as a Champions Trophy final.
Despite his retirement, Aleem Dar has assured that he will remain available for selection during matches played in Pakistan if PCB allows it. With Pakistan set to host Asia Cup and several international sides, Dar may still be gracing the TV screens for a while.
