Who was Asad Rauf?

Asad Rauf,
one of the biggest names in cricket umpiring to come out of Pakistan, died in
Lahore after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 66 years old. Rauf had umpired
231 international matches in a 13-year-long career. Asad Rauf’s umpiring career
came to and end after his name become involved in the IPL spot-fixing scandal.

After news
of his death surfaced, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ramiz Raja tweeted: “Saddened
to hear about passing of Asad Rauf. Not only was he a good umpire but also had
a wicked sense of humour. He always put a smile on my face and will continue to
do so whenever I think about him. Many sympathies with his family for their
loss.”

Who was
Asad Rauf?

Asad Rauf
was born on May 12, 1956. Between 1977 and 1991, Rauf played first-class
cricket representing Pakistan Universities, Lahore, National Bank of Pakistan
and Pakistan Railways. It was in 1998 when Asad Rauf turned to umpiring. The
first international cricket match where Asad Rauf umpired was a Pakistan versus
Sri Lanka one-day international on February 16, 2022.

Also Read | Asad Rauf, former Pakistan cricket umpire, dies at 66

In January 2005,
ICC appointed Rauf in the International Panel of Umpires for the first time. He
was tasked with umpiring a fixture between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in
Chittagong.

After his
inclusion with the Elite Panel of ICC umpires in 2016, he umpired 47 Test
matches, 98 one-day internationals and 23 T-20 matches. He was ousted from the
elite group after accusations of his involvement in the Indian Premier League
(IPL) spot-fixing scandal surfaced.

The Mumbai
Police charged him in September, 2013. Rauf denied the allegations but refused
to go to Mumbai face the charges. In 2016, Asad Rauf was found guilty and
banned for five years.

Also Read: Why Robin Uthappa retired from international and Indian cricket

On
September 15 2022, news surfaced of Asad Rauf’s death. He suffered a cardiac
arrest.