Pakistani veteran referee Aleem Dar has announced his retirement from his 19-year refereeing career. Aleem Dar played the role of referee in a record 435 men’s international matches. With this, Adrian Holdstock from South Africa and Ehsan Raza from Pakistan have been added to the ICC Elite Panel referee list.
Aleem Dar has been a part of the Elite Panel since 2002, when the referee list was first announced. Aleem Dar ranks first when it comes to playing the role of referee in Tests and ODIs, while in T20 Internationals he ranks second to his own compatriot Ehsan Raza.
During his refereeing career, Aleem Dar won the David Shepherd Trophy three times. Apart from this, Aleem Dar played the role of on-field referee in the 2007 and 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Finals.
Regarding his decision to say goodbye to the umpire career, Aleem Dar said in his statement to the ICC that it has been a very long journey for me. Whatever he has accomplished during this refereeing career, he could never have imagined before. I think the time is right to say goodbye to this profession after 19 years. My only message to other referees is to keep working hard and never stop learning.
Dar further said in his statement that I take this opportunity to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and my colleagues on the panel for their continued support. I also want to thank my family, without whose support I was able to carry out this responsibility for so long.