Guwahati: Asad Rauf, a former Pakistani elite umpire for the International Cricket Council (ICC) breathed his last at the age of 66 in Lahore after suffering a heart arrest.
Rauf, who started officiating in 2000, had a 13-year career during which he officiated 231 international games. In 2006, he was elevated to the ICC’s top panel and he later rose to prominence as one of cricket’s most important umpires.
The rise of Rauf, along with Aleem Dar, gave Pakistan’s umpiring team a new identity and improved his reputation. He officiated his first ODI two years after making his umpiring debut in 1998 during a First-Class match. He was promoted to the ODI panel in 2004, and the following year he presided over his maiden Test match.
He continued to officiate at the highest level until 2013, when the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal brought an end to his career. He was listed by the Mumbai Police as one of the “wanted culprits,” and this episode finally destroyed his career.
He was banned three years later in 2016 by the ICC after being found guilty of indulging in corrupt practices. A Mumbai-based model who had accused Rauf of sexual abuse the year before alleged that he had made a vow to marry her but afterwards reneged on it.
Rauf had a respectable domestic cricket career in Pakistan prior to becoming an umpire. He batted right-handed and racked up 3,423 runs in 71 First-Class games and 611 runs in 40 List-A contests during the 1980s. Rauf’s form plummeted after a career-best season in 1986–87, forcing him to retire from playing before he had tried his hand at umpiring.
He made headlines earlier this year when he was discovered selling shoes at Pakistan’s renowned Landa Bazaar. Rauf stated that he had lost interest in the sport after 10 years since leaving the cricket field and that he wanted to succeed in his new position.