By Qaiser Mohammad Ali, IANS
Mumbai : Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar, who became the first Asian to officiate in 100 One-day Internationals during the India-Australia tie here Wednesday, says he will quit at 50 — 10 years before the stipulated retirement age.
“I will quit at 50 because of family reasons. I don’t want my family to sacrifice any more for me. Also, my three children will have grown up by then and I have to look after them well,” the 39-year-old Dar told IANS.
“Moreover, by 50, eyesight and hearing usually don’t remain the same. If I find myself not being consistent before 50, I might quit even before that age,” reasoned the former first-class cricketer who is a member of the International Cricket Council’s Elite Panel.
Dar, who has also officiated in 39 Tests and resembles former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis, said it is too much for a “young umpire” on the Elite Panel to be away from his family for long periods.
“On an average, I am away for seven-eight months a year, which is asking too much from a young umpire like me. I have three sons, the youngest one being 12. My wife has sacrificed a lot for me as she has to look after their studies and everything else.”
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Pitch panel members on the move
Members of the Indian cricket board’s ground and wicket committee are on the move. Dhiraj Parsana, the West Zone member on the committee and a former Test spinner, came here to oversee the preparations for the seventh and final India-Australia ODI at the Wankhede Stadium after travelling to several smaller venues that will host domestic matches soon.
“I came here after visiting several smaller venues in the west zone, covering about 2,000 km,” said the Rajkot-based Parsana.
It is mandatory for at least one member of the committee to be present at every venue hosting an international match to oversee the ground and pitch preparations.
Having done his job, in association with Wankhede Stadium ground in-charge Sudhir Naik, Parsana left a contented man just before the match started Wednesday. “Everything is in perfect condition. Now, I am off to more venues that will stage domestic matches.”
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Twenty20 felicitation for Mumbaikars
The cricket board continued to felicitate members of India’s Twenty20 World Championship-winning team here Wednesday. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) presented cheques of Rs.500,000 each to Ajit Agarkar and Rohit Sharma, both Mumbai players, and Rs.300,000 each to coach Lalchand Rajput and masseur Ramesh Mane.
The presentations were made during the India-Australia one-day international at the Wankhede Stadium.
Last month, the Indian cricket board felicitated the entire team at the Wankhede Stadium and given Rs.8 million each to the 15-member team.