Aleem Dar steps down from International Cricket Council’s elite panel of umpires
- Planet Sport writer
- 16 March 2023
International cricket's most-experienced umpire, Aleem Dar, has decided to step down from his position on the International Cricket Council’s elite panel at the age of 58.
The Pakistani holds the record for officiating the most Test and ODI matches, with 144 and 122 respectively, and sits second in T20s with 69.
Compatriot Ahsan Raza is the man above him on that list and he becomes one of two new additions to the panel for 2023-24, joining South Africa's Adrian Holdstock.
Dar was the first Pakistani representative on the ICC's elite panel when he was appointed in 2004, a designation awarded to the game's top decision-makers, and was named umpire of the year three times in a row between 2009 and 11. He also stood in four World Cup finals.
"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," he said.
"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. My message to umpires the world over is to work hard, maintain discipline and never stop learning."
