Former ICC Elite Panel umpire Asad Rauf dies at 66

Lahore: Asad Rauf, the former Pakistan umpire who was part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Elite List for many years, has died after suffering a cardiac arrest, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja confirmed in a tweet on Thursday. He was 66.

"Saddened to hear about the 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 tweeted.

Rauf, who umpired his first ODI in 2000 and his first Test in 2005, was in 2006, named in the ICC Elite Panel. He was a part of the Elite Panel till 2013 and officiated in 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 Indian Premier League matches.

Rauf had to quit umpiring after being accused of involvement in match-fixing and spot-fixing in 2016.

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal also expressed his condolences to Rauf's family in a tweet.

Before taking up umpiring, Rauf had a successful domestic career as a middle-order batter. He played 71 first-class matches, scoring 3,423 runs, and appeared in 40 List A matches in which he scored 611 runs.