Pakistan's ex-elite umpire Asad Rauf dies aged 66

Former ICC elite umpire Asad Rauf has passed away at the age of 66 following a cardiac arrest in Lahore.

Asad stood in 64 Test matches, 189 ODIs, and 28 T20Is and retained his position as one of the top umpires globally alongside Aleem Dar.

The 66-year-old rose to prominence significantly after ICC promoted him to the elite panel in 2006 as he stood in his first Test match as an umpire the previous year.

However, his legacy was tarnished by allegations made in 2013 where he was accused of IPL spot-fixing. Despite the allegations, no action was ever taken by the ICC. Till the very end, Rauf maintained his innocence.

Rauf withdrew from the following ICC Champions Trophy after that IPL season and was later also dropped from ICC's elite panel as well.

It is worth mentioning that Rauf also had a short stint as a middle-order batter before he turned his attention to umpiring. He averaged 28.76 from 71 First Class matches.