Asad Rauf Dies: Former Pakistani umpire Asad Rauf, who was a part of the ICC Elite Panel from 2006 to 2013, died after suffering a cardiac arrest in Lahore. He was 66. “Saddened to hear about passing of Asad Rauf. Not only was he a good umpire but also had a wicked sense of humour. He always put a smile on my face and will continue to do so whenever I think about him. Many sympathies with his family for their loss,” Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja tweeted.
Saddened to hear about passing of Asad Rauf. Not only was he a good umpire but also had a wicked sense of humour. He always put a smile on my face and will continue to do so whenever I think about him. Many sympathies with his family for their loss.
— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) September 15, 2022 (Asad Rauf Dies)
“Sad to know about the news of former ICC umpire Asad Rauf’s demise…May Allah grant him magfirat and give his family sabr Ameen,” tweeted former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal.
Sad to know about the news of former ICC umpire Asad Rauf’s demise…May Allah grant him magfirat and give his family sabr Ameen pic.twitter.com/VyplFGX6gT
— Kamran Akmal (@KamiAkmal23) September 14, 2022 (Asad Rauf Dies)
Rauf umpired his first ODI in 2000 and his first Test in 2005. In 2006, he was named in ICC’s Elite Panel, which he was a part of until 2013.
He officiated 64 Tests, 139 ODIs, 28 T20Is and 11 women’s T20Is as either umpire or TV umpire.
He also officiated in 40 First Class matches, 26 List A matches and 89 T20s overall, including IPL matches.
He also had a successful domestic career as a middle-order batter.
Rauf played 71 First Class matches, scoring 3423 runs. He played 40 List A matches, scoring 611 runs.
Rauf, who had played 71 first-class matches for National Bank and Railways before taking up umpiring, was appointed in the ICC elite panel in April 2006.
Once considered a top umpire alongside compatriot Aleem Dar, Rauf fell from grace when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned him in early 2016 for involvement in corruption and misconduct during the Indian Premier League.
Although the BCCI banned him in 2016, Rauf had come under suspicion after being named as one of the accused by the Mumbai Police in IPL spot-fixing (Satta) scandal in 2013.
He was accused of taking gifts and bribes to fix matches.
Soon after, reports emerged of Rauf’s involvement in breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s Anti-Corruption Code. He was also withdrawn from the Champions Trophy and dropped from the ICC elite panel.
While banning him for five years, the BCCI had said that he was involved in breaching the ICC anti-corruption code several times during the league while officiating as umpire.
After the BCCI ban, Rauf’s umpiring career came to an end as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also implemented a ban even for domestic matches and from being involved in any cricket related activities in Pakistan.
For the last few years Rauf was running a shop to sell clothes and shoes at the Landa Bazar in Lahore