Cricket fans woke up to a sad piece of news on Thursday morning (September 15) as Asad Rauf, the former ICC elite panel umpire from Pakistan, has passed away due to a cardiac arrest in Lahore. Rauf, who breathed his last at 66, officiated in 64 Tests (49 as on-field umpire and 15 as TV umpire), 139 ODIs and 28 T20Is.
Rauf was one of the most prominent umpires in the mid-2000s as he marked his presence in numerous important encounters. Owing to his accurate decision making and preciseness, he was elevated to the ICC's elite panel in 2006. A year before, Rauf had officiated in his first Test match.
Meanwhile, he stood in his first ODI in 2000 and was inducted in the ODI panel in 2004. Alongside Aleem Dar, Rauf was one of the most renowned Pakistan-based umpires. In fact, the duo is hailed for improving reputation of neutral umpires during an era when international cricket was at a halt in Pakistan.
Controversies hampered Asad Rauf’s career!
However, off-field controversies didn’t help his career. In 2013, Rauf’s stellar-looking career came to an abrupt end as he was named as a "wanted accused" by Mumbai police in their investigation into the infamous IPL spot-fixing scandal. Rauf was serving as an umpire in that year’s tournament.
Subsequently, he left India but was withdrawn from the Champions Trophy. Later, he was even dropped from ICC’s elite panel of umpires, though the apex cricket body stated it wasn't because his name had popped up in the investigations.
Disappointed with the decision, Asad Rauf fought for justice and said that he would be happy to cooperate with the ACSU. Well, that wasn’t the end of problems for Rauf as in 2016, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned Rauf for five years on four charges of corruption and misconduct. It must be noted that Rauf had a decent professional career as a player before turning into an umpire. He played 71 First-Class matches.
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