Former elite cricket umpire Asad Rauf of Pakistan dies at 66

Former elite cricket umpire Asad Rauf of Pakistan has died after a heart attack. He was 66.

Tahir Rauf told The Associated Press on Thursday that his brother had a heart attack late Wednesday in the eastern city of Lahore and died before he could get treatment at a hospital.

Rauf officiated in 64 test matches, 139 one-day internationals and 28 Twenty20s. His umpiring career ended in 2013 after his name was linked to the Indian Premier League spot-fixing scandal during an investigation by Mumbai police.

He was withdrawn from the Champions Trophy and later dropped the International Cricket Council list of elite umpires, although the governing body insisted it had nothing to do with the police investigation.

Rauf always maintained his innocence and was ready to cooperate with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit, but the Board of Control for Cricket in India banned him for five years in 2016 and that meant he couldn’t officiate in the IPL.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ramiz Raja said he was “saddened” by Rauf’s death.

“Not only was he a good umpire but also had a wicked sense of humor. He always put a smile on my face and will continue to do so whenever I think about him,” Raja posted on Twitter. “Many sympathies with his family for their loss.”

Rauf also played 71 first-class matches as a middle-order batter, scoring 3,423 runs at an average of 28.76 that included three centuries and 22 half-centuries.

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