International Test umpire Mian Said Ahmad Shah laid to rest

PESHAWAR: .Mian Said Ahmad Shah, a senior international Test cricket umpire, the only from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has died early morning due to prolonged illness. He was 81.
Mian Said Ahmad Shah was born on April 28, 1940. He was ill for the last several months. His Namaz-e-Janaza was large attended by people from different walk of life including former and present cricketers, teaching faculty from Govt College Peshawar, sports journalist Ghani ur Rehman,Musarat ullah jan friends and relatives. He was laid to rest in his native village Sherkara, Matani.

Mian Said Shah, former Test Umpire officiated in a Test match played between Pakistan and West Indies at Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar on Nov 17, 1997. He also officiated in five One-Day Internationals played from 1984 to 1997. He made his One-Day International debut as Pakistani umpire against New Zealand at Multan on Dec 7, 1984 and his last One-Day International as umpire was South Africa vs West Indies at Lahore on Nov 3, 1997. He officiated as umpire five One-Day Internationals.
He was a professor of History in Government College Peshawar, however, his fame was due to his association with cricket umpiring. He was the first international and Test umpire of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He supervised the No. 1 High School vs Charsadda High School match in 1970 as right-hand batsman and right-arm offbreak bowler and then became an umpiring profession. He started his umpiring career in 1984 with a New Zealand ODI match. He also supervised the 1996 World Cup matches. He was an expert in unraveling the intricacies of cricket rules, so he spent most of his time on TV and became the third empire.
He officiated 13 ODIs and One Test as well as umpiring in more than 200 first class matches. After his retirement in 2000 from as professor of history in Government College Peshawar, Mian Said Ahmad Shah became a faculty member of the PCB.
Late Mian Said Ahmad Shah played a pivotal role in tarnishing the image of cricket and umpiring in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and taking both the fields to new heights. He was famous for his soft-spoken responses, he successfully fulfilled his new responsibility of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and the ICC is to embark on a new journey as an expert in resolving the intricacies of cricket rules and to teach umpiring to young men from Pakistan, Bahrain, Qatar and many other countries.
Training to empires all over Pakistan. His career included umpiring in more than 200 first-class matches, in addition to 13 ODIs and one Test. He also worked in Government College Peshawar to promote cricket and other sports and to develop the best teams in the college. Thanks to him, there are only 18 PCB panel umpires in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today.
In addition to many former and current cricket players, people from various walks of life attended his funeral prayers in large numbers in his home town Shery kara, Mantani, situated some 35 kilometer on main Peshawar-Kohat road. May Allah Almighty grant him a high position in Jinnah.