Aleem Dar is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former cricketer. He was the first Pakistani to join the elite group of umpires at the ICC and holds the record for refereeing the most Test matches and ODIs. He made headlines in March 2023 when he quit the elite group after 19 years of service. Dar is also the only Pakistani referee to win three consecutive ICC Umpire of the Year awards.
Wiki/Biography
Aleem Dar was born on Thursday, June 6, 1968, in Jhang, Punjab, Pakistan (age 55 years 2023). After completing his studies, Dar pursued a bachelor’s degree in humanities at the Government Islamic College, Civil Lines, Lahore, Pakistan.
Alim Dar as a young man
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′10″
Weight (approximately): 75kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
Aleem Dar was born into a middle-class Muslim family in Punjab, Pakistan.
Parents and siblings
His father Sarwar Dar is a lawyer in the Pakistan Police and his mother is a housewife. He has three brothers: Naeem Dar, Waseem Dar and Azeem Dar. Naeem Dar served in the Pakistan Army and became an entrepreneur after retirement.
Aleem with his brother Naeem and niece Zara
wife and children
Alim married Noshabh Banu. The couple has two sons named Hassan Dar and Ali Dar. They had a daughter, Jaweria, who died of epilepsy in 2003 when she was 6 months old.
Aleem Dar with his wife Noshaba and sons Hassan and Ali
Religion/Religious Views
Aleem Dar is a follower of Islam.
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Profession
player
Aleem Dar moved to Lahore from Jhang in 1980 with the hope of becoming a Test cricketer. He started playing first-class cricket for P & T Gymkhana Club Lahore. He is a leg-spinner all-rounder. He played in 17 first-division matches and 18 first-division matches. In FC cricket, he scored a total of 270 runs and took 11 wickets, while in List-A he scored a total of 179 runs and took 15 wickets. Later, he played for many clubs including Pakistan Railways, Gujranwala Cricket Association, Income Tax Department and won the BCCP Patrons Trophy II title.
Aleem Dar practices with his bat before the game
referee
In 1996, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formed an umpiring panel of first-class cricketers, in which Dar also had a seat. Aleem Dar oversaw the first match between Sargodha and LCCA in 1999. In the first season, he officiated a total of 19 games as a referee. Seeing his performance, the PCB included him in the international panel just 15 months into his career.
Aleem Dar supervises the game as referee
He made his debut as a One-Day International (ODI) referee on 16 February 2000 during the match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Gujranwala. With just one year of experience, he was able to officiate an international match. In 2000, he refereed a number of domestic international matches and later that year he was appointed television referee for the match against England in Rawalpindi.
Aleem Dar celebrates after the third referee’s decision of the match
On October 21, 2003, he officiated the first Test match between Bangladesh and England in Dhaka. He made his Twenty20 cricket debut on 7 May 2009 in a match between Australia and Pakistan in Dubai.
Abdul Razzak celebrates after Aleem Dar raises his finger during Pakistan’s match against Australia in 2009
In 2002, Aleem Dar’s consistent performances earned him a spot on the ICC’s International Umpires Panel. In 2003, he was selected to referee the ICC World Cup in South Africa and subsequently became a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Referees, the first Pakistani to achieve this honor. On October 17, 2007, he refereed 100 ODI games in just 7 years, becoming the 10th referee in the world and the first Pakistani to achieve this feat.
Aleem Dar congratulated for completing 100 ODIs
Alim has umpired the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, 2007 Cricket World Cup and 2010 ICC World Twenty20 final. He also officiated at the 2011, 2015 and 2019 Cricket World Cup matches. In March 2023, Aleem Dar stepped down from the ICC’s elite panel of referees after officiating a record 444 international matches. As of 2023, Aleem holds the record for umpiring the most Test matches (145) and ODIs (229). Discussing his career as a member of the elite panel, he said:
It’s been a long journey but I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. I have had the pleasure and privilege of refereeing all over the world and have achieved more than I could have ever dreamed of when I started in this profession. “
Aleem Dar receives Guard of Honor medal after officiating final match as member of ICC’s elite panel of referees
dispute
2007 T20 Championship suspended
Controversy arose when umpire Aleem Dar allowed Australia to bowl three more overs in near darkness during the 2007 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. This decision was made because of Dahl’s lack of understanding of the playing conditions of the Duckworth-Lewis system. As a result of the controversial decision, Dahl and other officials including Steve Bucknor, Rudy Kerzen, Billy Bowden and Jeff Crowe were banned from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Suspended from duties during the 2007 World Twenty20 Championship.
Aleem Dar and Billy Bowden
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- ICC David Sheppard Trophy: Best Umpire of the Year 2009, 2010, 2011
Aleem Dar wins Player of the Year Award 2009
- Presidential Pride of Performance Award 2010 by the Government of Pakistan
- Commended by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for officiating the 2011 World Cup with a 100% record
Pakistan Cricket Board chief pays tribute to Aleem Dar
- Received ICC (International Cricket Council) honors for officiating 150 ODIs in 2012
- Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence) 2013 by the Government of Pakistan
Favorites
- Idols: Steve Bucknor, Arthur Zaidi
Alim Dar discusses something with Steve Bucknor during the game
Facts/Trivia
- Aleem Dar is the first referee to officiate 500 international matches.
Aleem Dar honored to be first referee to officiate 500 international matches
- During the Covid-19 pandemic, he provided free food to the unemployed at his Dar’s Delighto Lahore restaurant.
- Aleem Dar stays fit and healthy for competitions by exercising, playing table tennis and getting eight hours of sleep a day.
- Disappointed with his performance in cricket, he moved to the United States and started working as a taxi driver and then as an umpire.
- Zara Naeem Dar, who topped the 2020 ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) examination, is the niece of Aleem Dar.
Aleem Dar awards family trophy to his niece Zara Naeem Dar
- His other niece, Haleema Dar, is a cricketer who participated in the 2023 ICC U-19 Women’s World Cup.
Haleema Dar during the U-19 World Cup
- Aleem Dar was nominated for the ICC David Shepherd Trophy in 2005 and 2006.
- In memory of Aleem Dar, the Pakistan Cricket Board named the umpire’s room at the Gaddafi Stadium in Karachi after him.
- He dedicated his third consecutive ICC Referee of the Year award to victims of floods and dengue disease in Pakistan.
- Asad Rauf and Aleem Dar both made their ODI debut in the same match in 2000.
- In the 2011 World Cup, his performance was outstanding. Each of the 15 challenges players put forward to his decision was unsuccessful. Impressed with his performance, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Pakistani government honored him.
Imran Khan pays tribute to Aleem Dar after his impressive performance in 2011 World Cup
- In 2005, during a Test match between England and South Africa at Centurion, umpires Aleem Dar and Steve Bucknor received death threats.
- In 2015, Alim was revoked by the ICC after officiating three of the five ODI series between India and South Africa. The ICC (International Cricket Council) withdrew him over concerns about a security breach as members of Shivsena stormed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) offices and threatened to prevent the umpires from officiating the fifth ODI.
- He constantly strives to improve conditions for his players. In Jowar Town, Lahore, Pakistan, he opened the Alimdar Cricket Academy (ADCA) to train deaf and mute students for free. He also advocated for an increase in the salary of Pakistan’s umpires to encourage efficient and young players to pursue this career path.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education