Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar is set to break Steve Bucknor’s record of most Test matches as an umpire in the upcoming Test match between Australia and New Zealand on Thursday (12 December) in Perth.
The 51-year-old will be standing in his 129th Test match as an on-field umpire after making his debut in Dhaka in 2003.
While talking about this milestone, Punjab, Pakistan native Dar said, “This is one milestone I had never thought of when I began my umpiring career. It is a truly amazing feeling and a high point of my life when I take the field here in Australia; thousands of miles from where I started my international career at home in Gujranwala.”
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When asked about Steve Bucknor, the Pakistani official said, “Steve Bucknor was my idol and it is only sinking in now that I will have officiated in more Test matches than him.”
"You have to be mentally strong otherwise you can't survive."
— ICC (@ICC) December 11, 2019
Aleem Dar is set to break Steve Bucknor’s record of most Test matches as an umpire when he takes the field in Perth tomorrow.
Watch him speak about his illustrious career ???? #AusvNZ pic.twitter.com/XC4VF4d9o8
Dar who is a member of Elite Panel of ICC Umpires then talked about his career so far by saying, “In the nearly two decades of my international career, I have had the good fortune of watching some memorable matches and achievements like Brian Lara’s Test knock of 400 not out and South Africa’s epic chase of Australia’s score of 434 in an ODI in Johannesburg in 2006.”
(With PTI inputs)
