'Was kept in the dark for nearly a month' - Aleem Dar reveals how family hid tragic incident of daughter's demise

Aleem Dar is one of the most revered umpires in international cricket. The 56-year-old is one among the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires. But the game moderator had had his share of ups and downs and the most gruesome of all came early in his professional career. Dar recounted that during the World Cup 2003, he lost his seven-month-old child and the family did not reveal the news to him for a month. 

Before turning umpire, the Pakistani-born has played first-class cricket for Allied Bank, Gujranwala, Lahore and Pakistan Railways. He broke Steve Bucknor’s record for most umpiring in Tests as the first game of the Australia and New Zealand series in December 2019 became his 129^th Test. Reflecting on his early days and the unfortunate death of his infant, Dar exclaimed that it was the saddest moment of his life.

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“It was the start of my career as a ICC panel umpire and it was a very important assignment for my career and they knew if I came to know about my daughter’s demise, I would return home immediately. I was kept in the dark for nearly a month after her passing away and I only came to know about it by chance in Johannesburg where a Pakistani man who belonged to my hometown Sialkot came to offer his condolences to me,” said Dar as quoted by News18.

“It was a big shock to me at that time and I immediately informed the ICC and returned home. I came to know later that my father had strictly told the media friends to not print the story,” he added.

Dar leaves legacy for budding officials to follow

Moreover, Dar pipped the South African umpire Rudi Koertzen to have the most number of umpiring in ODIs as the second ODI between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in November 2020 became his 210^th. Before announcing his retirement in 2023, he umpired in 145 Tests, 231 ODIs, and 72 T20Is in a 23-year-long career. He also won the ICC Umpire of the Year award for three consecutive years from 2009 to 2011.