Former Pakistan umpire Javed Akhtar passes away

Former Pakistan off-spinner and international umpire Javed Akhtar passed away aged 75. He officiated in 18 Test matches and 40 One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Javed made his international debut against England at Leeds in 1962 when he was 21-years old. Pakistan lost the match by an innings and 117 runs and he went wicketless in the match. This was the only Test match in his career which spanned from 1959-60 to 1975-1976.

He went on to become the umpire in the same year he retired from international cricket. Officiating over 50 international matches, he was one of the most successful umpires from the nation. But his career ended on a low at Headingley in 1998 he was accused of favoring England when he gave eight dubious decisions in England’s favour in the series decider.

He was accused by Ali Bacher for inappropriate behavior in that match at the King Commission in 2000, claiming that Akhtar vigorously denied the appeals. But later on, Bacher refused to appear in the court to answer charges brought against him by Akhtar.

Also read – Shoaib Akhtar lashes out at BBC for referring Mohammad Amir as ‘spot-fixer’

Javed played 51 first-class matches, where he bagged 187 wickets and scored 835 runs. He averages 15.75 with the bat with 5 half-centuries. He had a strike-rate of 48.9 with the ball with 12 five-wicket hauls and 3 ten wicket hauls.

He last officiated in the 1999 World Cup in a league fixture between England and India as an umpire.