'One of the best umpires in world cricket' - Twitter reacts to Asad Rauf's sudden demise

Rauf was a part of the ICC's elite panel of umpires and held his place for seven years.

By Vaishnavi Thiagarajan Iyer

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Asad Rauf
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Asad Rauf

Asad Rauf, the most celebrated umpire from Pakistan and a previous member of the ICC's elite panel, passed away on Thursday due to cardiac arrest. He breathed his last aged 66. In 2006, Rauf, who had a standout career as an official in the middle of the 2000s, was promoted to the ICC's top panel. The Pakistani umpire who passed away officiated 64 Test matches (49 as an on-field and 15 as a TV umpire). Additionally, he also oversaw 28 T20Is and 139 ODIs.

He held the position of authority for seven years before being dismissed from the illustrious panel of umpires in 2013 as a result of a yearly performance evaluation. Rauf began his umpiring career in 1998 during a domestic match, and in 2000, he officiated his first international match, a One Day International between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Rauf also worked in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL). Rauf's career, however, took a turn for the worst when his name was linked to the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal. Rauf's umpiring career was jeopardized by the fact that he was one of the wanted accused by the Mumbai police.

Rauf was prohibited by the BCCI three years later, in 2016, after he was found accountable for engaging in unethical behavior and interfering with play. He was charged with participating in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing incident as well as collecting gifts from bookies.

A skilled cricketer turned umpire

Rauf was not only a skilled umpire but also a well-known first-class cricket player in Pakistan. Rauf scored 3423 runs in 71 first-class games and 611 runs in 40 List A games, including three centuries and 26 fifties.

Rauf played for Lahore, the National Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan Railways, and Pakistan Universities throughout his career. Before the period of neutral umpires commenced, Rauf, along with Aleem Dar, seemed to be a very popular character and did everything in his power to boost the prestige of Pakistani umpires.

Rauf was in the spotlight up until the beginning of this year, when a video showing him selling footwear at Pakistan's renowned Landa Bazaar made headlines. Rauf stated that he has given up on cricket ten years after officiating in his final ODI and is now focused on succeeding in his new position.

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Asad Rauf