File photo of Aleem Dar.
Aleem Dar will break Rudi Koertzen’s record of standing in most ODIs as an umpire when he takes the field during the second match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe on Sunday. This will be his 210th ODI.
The 52-year-old former Pakistan first-class cricketer made his ODI debut as an umpire in Pakistan, when he officiated a match against Sri Lanka in Gujranwala, also his hometown, in February 2000.
The record comes after Aleem became the most experienced Test umpire by surpassing his idol Steve Bucknor to the top of the Test umpires’ list.
He so far has stood in 132 Test matches and is currently second in the list of T20Is, behind fellow Pakistani umpire Ahsan Raza, with 46 T20Is.
Aleem has officiated in 387 international matches so far, the most by any umpire.
"It is a matter of great honour for me to be on the top of the list of both Tests and ODIs for umpires,” Aleem Dar told ICC website. "When I had started out in the profession, I had never imagined I would get this far. I can only say that I have enjoyed every moment on the field and learning has been an ongoing process all this while.”
Aleem also thanked ICC and PCB for showing faith in him for all these years.
"I thank my family for standing by me over the years and am grateful to the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board for backing me and providing me with all the opportunities. I am also thankful to all my colleague match officials for their help and support," he said.
Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager Umpires and Referees also took the opportunity to congratulate Aleem.
"Aleem has been a very consistent umpire over the years, and this is reflected in his 16 years on the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Umpires.We congratulate Aleem on the milestone and wish him all the best for the upcoming game and series. We are sure many aspiring match officials look up to Aleem, and he will continue to inspire the next generation,” Griffith said.
