16 September,2022 07:56 AM IST | Mumbai | A Correspondent
Suresh Shastri and Asad Rauf
Ex-Ranji Trophy player-turned-international umpire Suresh Shastri called Pakistan umpire Asad Rauf, who succumbed to a cardiac arrest in Lahore on Wednesday night, as a fun-loving umpire.
"I umpired my first Test with Asad [Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at Colombo in 2007] and he never made me feel like a junior [Rauf had been an on-field umpire for 11 Tests before that]. He was a very relaxed personality and never let pressure get to him," said Shastri, who played first-class cricket for Rajasthan, and Nirlon on the Mumbai club circuit.
Rauf officiated in 64 Tests (49 as on-field umpire and 15 as TV umpire), 139 ODIs and 28 T20Is. He was at the receiving end of a BCCI ban in early 2016 for alleged involvement in corruption.
"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 (PCB) president Ramiz Raja tweeted.
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He was accused of taking gifts and bribes to fix matches. Reports also emerged of Rauf's involvement in breaching the International Cricket Council (ICC)'s Anti-Corruption Code. In his last years, Rauf earned his living by selling clothes and shoes at a Lahore shop.
With inputs from Agencies