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Aleem Dar, Pakistan’s most experienced umpire, has revealed one of the most heartbreaking experiences of his life. During the early years of his international career in 2003, his wife and family kept the death of their seven-month-old daughter a secret from him. This devastating news was withheld during a critical period of his career.
The 56-year-old Aleem Dar shared on a Pakistani channel that while he was umpiring during the 2003 World Cup, his wife and family chose not to inform him about the death of their infant daughter.
“It was the start of my career as a ICC panel umpire and it was a very important assignment for my career and they knew if I came to know about my daughter’s demise, I would return home immediately,” Dar said on the show.
The esteemed Pakistani umpire revealed that when he finally discovered the tragic news of his daughter’s death, it was the most sorrowful moment of his life, leaving him deeply wounded.
“I was kept in the dark for nearly a month after her passing away and I only came to know about it by chance in Johannesburg where a Pakistani man who belonged to my hometown Sialkot came to offer his condolences to me.
“It was a big shock to me at that time and I immediately informed the ICC and returned home,” Dar said.
The umpire recounted that upon learning about his daughter’s passing, he immediately called his wife, who broke down in tears over the phone.
“I came to know later that my father had strictly told the media friends to not print the story,” he added.
Dar officiated in 145 Test matches, 231 One Day Internationals, and 72 Twenty20 Internationals throughout his career, which spanned from 2000 to 2023.