Aleem Dar

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Aleem Dar

Personal information
Full name	Aleem Sarwar Dar
Born	6 June 1968 (age 42) Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm leg spin
Role	Umpire
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1997/98	Gujranwala
1995/96	Allied Bank Limited
1987 – 1995	Lahore City
1986/87	Pakistan Railways
First-class debut	8 February 1987 Pakistan Railways v ADBP
Last First-class	6 December 1997 Gujranwala v Bahawalpur
List A debut	29 September 1986 Pakistan Railways v United Bank Limited
Last List A	23 March 1998 Gujranwala v Malaysia
Umpiring information
Tests umpired	60 (2003–present)
ODIs umpired	127 (2000–present)
T20Is umpired	17 (2009–present)
Career statistics
Competition	FC	LA
Matches	17	18
Runs scored	270	179
Batting average	11.73	19.88
100s/50s	0/0	0/0
Top score	39	37
Balls bowled	740	634
Wickets	11	15
Bowling average	34.36	31.66
5 wickets in innings	0	0
10 wickets in match	0	n/a
Best bowling	3/19	3/27
Catches/stumpings	5/–	17/–
Source: Cricinfo, 4 June 2010

Aleem Sarwar Dar (born June 6, 1968 in Jhang, Punjab) is a retired Pakistani first-class cricketer and a member of the ICC Elite umpire panel. He won two consecutiveICC Umpire of the Year awards 2009 and 2010, after being nominated twice in 2005 and 2006. Aleem Dar and Simon Taufel are the only umpires to have received the award since its inception. He has played for Allied Bank, Gujranwala Cricket Association, Lahore, and Pakistan Railways as a right-handed batsman and a leg-break bowler. Since his retirement as a player, he has gained prominence as one of the leading umpires in international cricket. He was educated at Islamia College, Civil Lines, Lahore

Dar is best known as an international cricket umpire. He made his international umpiring debut in an ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Gujranwala on February 16, 2000. In 2002 he became a member of ICC's International Panel of umpires. He impressed the ICC with his accurate decision making, and was chosen to umpire at the ICC Cricket World Cup in early 2003, where he was one of the better performing umpires. His high standard was again rewarded when he was appointed to stand in his first Test match in October 2003; the match between Bangladesh and England atDhaka. Over the next six months he was appointed to stand in several more Test matches, and as a neutral umpire in ODI matches away from Pakistan.[edit]Umpiring career

In April 2004, he became the first Pakistani to be part of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel.^[1] Since then he has been regarded as one of the top umpires, being nominated for the ICC Umpire of the year Award in 2005 and 2006, although he was beaten on both occasions by the Australian Simon Taufel, who is also very highly regarded. On 17 October 2007 Dar umpired in his 100th ODI (between India and Australia at Mumbai), making him the tenth umpire in the history of cricket to reach that landmark. He reached the landmark in a record time, taking just seven years, and became the first Pakistani to officiate in a century of One Day Internationals.

Dar has stood in numerous high profile matches, including several India-Pakistan ODI matches and five Ashes Test matches. He was also one of the on-field umpires for the final of the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, standing alongside Rudi Koertzen. However, the highlight of his career so far, has been his appointment to stand in the final of the 2007 Cricket World Cup between Australia and Sri Lanka, where he officiated with Steve Bucknor. Dar was also selected to stand in the final of the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 between Australia and England. He has, however, never stood in a Test match in Pakistan, because his appointment in the international panel came after the introduction of neutral umpires for Test matches.

In January 2005, Dar and his colleague Steve Bucknor, received death threats during a Test match between England and South Africa at Centurion.^[2] He was also involved in a controversy during the 2007 Cricket World Cup final where he, along with fellow officials Bucknor,Koertzen, Bowden and Crowe were unaware of the playing conditions regarding the result of a match under the Duckworth-Lewissystem, and made Australia bowl three unnecessary overs in near darkness. Consequently the ICC decided to suspend him, along with the other four officials, from duty for the next ICC event, which was the 2007 World Twenty20 Championship.

[edit]Accolades

After being nominated twice in 2005 and 2006, Dar finally won the Umpire of the Year award in October 2009, at the annual ICC awardsceremony in Johannesburg, South Africa.^[3] By claiming the award, Dar ended Simon Taufel's run of five successive awards. It was the first time that any umpire other than Taufel had picked up the accolade in the six years that the ceremony has taken place. In October 2010, he won the award for a second straight year.^[4