DHAKA:
He has officiated in almost every high-profile tournament and in crunch finals since 2006 but for Aleem Dar, watching his country reach the big stage is a priority.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite Panel umpire will officiate the final in Mumbai on April 2 but will be reduced to a spectator should the 1992 champions beat India in Mohali on Wednesday.
“I want Pakistan to play the final,” said Dar. “It’s of greater importance than me officiating the World Cup final.”
Dar, who was a recent recipient of the Pride of Performance award by the government of Pakistan, said the country was uplifted by the team’s superb run in the tournament. “I see the sights on the streets on television here and I can imagine the entire country praying and backing the team.”
Dar has earned respect through high-quality umpiring that has also earned him the ICC Umpire of the Year award for two years running. And while the tournament has seen a controversial Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), Dar said the technology has helped make the game error-free, to some extent.
“Personally, I’ve felt relaxed during matches. It helps me focus better and I really feel the UDRS should be implemented across all formats and tournaments.” added Dar.
The 42-year-old recalled a conversation he had during a seminar before the World Cup and how he advised a fellow umpire to forget that the technology even existed. “When you’re on the field, there’s a lot of pressure. One can make mistakes but I advised him to forget that the technology is available. The benefit of the doubt, though, should be given to the batsman. The bowler can claim his wicket again but the batsman has one chance so a wrong decision is unfair to him.”
Dar, who has been an umpire for 11 years and has officiated in 53 Tests, 143 One-Day Internationals and 18 Twenty20s, has also had a fantastic World Cup where all his challenged decisions have met with negative response.
However, there were words of advice for the Pakistan team as Dar felt that the public’s expectations had risen enormously during the event.
“Their superb run has overshadowed the trauma, scandals and poor performance that had plagued the team in the lead-up to the World Cup. Now the people have enormous expectations and want the team to win badly. I’m proud to be a Pakistani and I really hope they can handle the pressure and pull off a win.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2011.
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