VIDEO: Pakistan’s Aleem Dar breaks record for most ODIs as umpire

Gulf Today Report

Pakistan’s Aleem Dar on Sunday surpassed South African Rudi Koertzen's record of most One-Day Internationals (ODIs) as an umpire.

Dar has been awarded a special memento for his 210th appearance when he turned up for the second ODI match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe.

Before Sunday's match —between Pakistan and Zimbabwe — started, he was seen excitedly clutching his souvenir following a brief ceremony at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Aleem Dar speaks and holds (right) a souvenir during a ceremony at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. AFP

Dar has now officiated in 210 ODIs, and is followed by Koertzen (209), Billy Bowden (200), Steve Bucknor (181) and Simon Taufel and Daryl Harper (174).

"It is a matter of great honour for me to be on the top of the list of both Tests and ODIs for umpires," Dar was quoted as saying in an ICC media release.

"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," he added.

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Adrian Griffith, ICC Senior Manager Umpires and Referees congratulated Dar and said: "Aleem has been a very consistent umpire over the years, and this is reflected in his 16 years on the 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," he added.

The 52-year-old, who played first-class cricket in Pakistan for over a decade as an all-rounder before taking up umpiring, had also made his ODI debut in Pakistan, when he stood in a match against Sri Lanka in his hometown of Gujranwala in 2000.

Last year, Dar passed Bucknor to the top of the Test umpires' list. He holds the record of officiating in 132 Tests and is second in the list of T20Is, only behind compatriot Ahsan Raza, with 46 T20Is. He has officiated in 387 international matches so far, the most by any umpire.