Pakistan vs Zimbabwe: Aleem Dar overtakes Rudi Koertzen to break record for most ODIs as on-field umpire

Rawalpindi: Aleem Dar on Sunday broke the record for most ODIs as an on-field umpire when he stood for his 210th match in the series’ second match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe. The 52-year-old from Pakistan surpassed South African Rudi Koertzen’s record of officiating in most ODIs. [caption id=“attachment_8972971” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of Aleem Dar (R). AFP[/caption] Dar also holds the record of umpiring in most Test matches. He achieved the feat when he officiated in his 132nd match last year — Australia vs New Zealand in Perth in December — to go past Jamaican Steve Bucknor’s mark. The record for officiating in the most international matches — 387 — is also in the name of Dar. He has also umpired in 45 T20 internationals, one behind his countryman Ahsan Raza. “It is a matter of great honour for me to be on top of the list of both Tests and ODIs for umpires. When I had started … I had never imagined I would get this far. I can only say that I have enjoyed every moment on the field and learning has been an ongoing process all this while,” Dar said in an ICC statement. “… I am grateful to the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board for backing me and providing me with all the opportunities. I am also thankful to all my colleague match officials for their help and support.” Dar, who played first-class cricket in Pakistan for over a decade as an all-rounder before taking up umpiring, made his international debut as an umpire in February 2000, in an ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Gujranwala, his hometown. He has been a part of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires for 16 years.