Aleem, the three-time ICC Umpire of the Year from the ICC Elite Panel of Umpires, will stand in all the three ODIs as well as the first and third T20I, while he will be the third umpire for the second T20I.

The ICC has appointed Prof. Javed Malik, member of the ICC International Panel of Match Referees, as match referee for the series.

As per the ICC’s interim playing regulations, Aleem and Javed will be the ICC-appointed match officials. The PCB has appointed the umpires from the ICC International Panel of Match Officials, namely Ahsan Raza, Asif Yaqoob, Rashid Riaz and Shozab Raza.

When Ahsan Raza will walk out to officiate the second T20I, he will become the first umpire to complete a half-century of T20Is. Aleem Dar is second on the list with 46 matches, while Shozab Raza shares fourth spot with South Africa’s Shaun George with 36 matches.

Ahsan, a former first-class cricketer, began his international umpiring career in February 2010 by standing in an ODI between Afghanistan and Canada at Sharjah Cricket Ground. Later that year in October, he officiated his first T20I match when Pakistan played South Africa at Abu Dhabi. Overall, the 46-year-old has stood in 85 international matches.

ICC’s interim playing regulations, which are applicable to the upcoming series:

Ban on applying saliva to the ball: Players will not be permitted to use saliva to shine the ball. If a player does apply saliva to the ball, the umpires will manage the situation with some leniency during an initial period of adjustment for the players, but subsequent instances will result in the team receiving a warning.

A team can be issued up to two warnings per innings but repeated use of saliva on the ball will result in a 5-run penalty to the batting side. Whenever saliva is applied to the ball, the umpires will be instructed to clean the ball before play recommences.

Non-neutral umpires: The requirement to appoint neutral match officials will be temporarily removed from the playing conditions for all international formats owing to the current logistical challenges with international travel. The ICC will be able to appoint locally based match officials from the ICC Elite Panel of Match Officials and the ICC International Panel of Match Officials.

Additional DRS reviews: The CEC has also confirmed an additional unsuccessful DRS review for each team in each innings of a match, keeping in mind that there may be less experienced umpires on duty at times. This will increase the number of unsuccessful appeals per innings for each team to two for the white-ball formats.

The ICC Cricket Operations team will support Match Referees when processing Code of Conduct breaches and a neutral Elite Panel match referee will conduct any hearing remotely via video link.

Appointments (ODIs to start 1200, T20Is to commence 1530):

30 Oct – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi. Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpires), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Rashid Riaz (fourth umpire); Javed Malik (match referee)

1 Nov – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi. Aleem Dar and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Shozab Raza (fourth umpire); Javed Malik (match referee)

3 Nov – 3rd ODI, Rawalpindi. Aleem Dar and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpires), Ahsan Raza (third umpire), Asif Yaqoob (fourth umpire); Javed Malik (match referee)

7 Nov – 1st T20I, Lahore. Aleem Dar and Asif Yaqoob (on-field umpires), Rashid Riaz (third umpire), Shozab Raza (fourth umpire); Javed Malik (match referee)

8 Nov – 2nd T20I, Lahore. Ahsan Raza and Rashid Riaz (on-field umpire), Aleem Dar (third umpire), Shozab Raza (fourth umpire); Javed Malik (match referee)

10 Nov – 3rd T20I, Lahore. Aleem Dar and Ahsan Raza (on-field umpire), Asif Yaqoob (third umpire), Shozab Raza (fourth umpire); Javed Malik (match referee)

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Lahore:Waheed Ahmed started his time at PCB in 2007. One of the safest pair of hands behind the wheel, Waheed does not only drive around the officials of the PCB but also pilots the cricket team bus to and from the hotel, airport, match venues and, in some cases, intercity travel.

Waheed was lucky that his favourite childhood cricketer Mudassar Nazar took his test drive in 2007. Recently, Waheed drove efficiently during the Sri Lanka, West Indies and HBL PSL 2019 series, transporting national and international players safely to their destinations.

Waheed, reflecting on his journey with the Pakistan team, said:

“Hasan Ali and Fakhar Zaman are the two cricketers who arrive in the bus before the rest of the squad. Shoaib Malik and Wahab Riaz always sit at the front seat of the bus while travelling to ground while others prefer the window seat to glance around while travelling.

“During the HBL PSL 2019, even the international players liked to sit on the window seats to have a good look of Karachi’s culture.”

National players chit-chat and enjoy themselves during the journey and request for song dedications. Mohammad Aamir often entertains everyone through his melodious voice.

To show their affection, Waheed recalls, Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan address him as Chacha while Aamir calls him Baba.

“Driving Shoaib Malik to Sialkot is always one of the memorable trips of my life.

“To travel with my childhood favourites like Mudassar, Javed Miandad and Ramiz Raja was like a dream come true for me. I have found all national cricketers to be very polite and friendly.”

Waheed Ahmed Khan is from Bagh, the city of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Riding his brother’s motorbike instilled the passion of driving in him. His parents tried to show some resistance but Khan opted to become a driver by profession.

“I not only feel proud but honoured to work with PCB. I have passed 52 years of my life, if I get another 60 years, I would prefer to spend these with our national players.”

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KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presided over a high-level meeting today to discuss arrangements for the final of the Pakistan Super League third edition, scheduled to be held at the National Stadium on March 25.

The meeting was attended by Inspector General Sindh Police A.D. Khawaja, Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar, DG Rangers, SSP Security Javed Mehr and National Stadium senior manager Arshad Khan, among other top officials.

CM Murad, addressing the meeting, vowed to make the PSL final a success.

“We promised last year we will hold the final in Karachi. We have fulfilled that promise, now we have to make it a success,” he said.

The minister instructed the authorities to speed up construction work around the National Stadium and ensure no hassle is suffered by the public.

“The PSL is for our public, and therefore the public shouldn’t face any problems because of [the final match],” he said, as he ordered to make the public aware of alternative routes well ahead of the final in March.

CM Murad also instructed the relevant authorities to resolve residents’ issues, including lighting, water, parking sites, cleanliness and medical facilities.

IG Sindh A.D. Khawaja briefed the participants about the ongoing security preparations. He said that Sindh Police officials toured Lahore to review the security arrangements made for Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20 match on October 29 last year.

There is close cooperation between all stakeholders, he said.

The official said that CCTV cameras will monitor all routes to the National Stadium for the occasion. He added that an initial rehearsal will be held later today to go over preparations for VVIP movement, players’ arrival and other security measures.

SSP Security Javed Mehr said the IG Police has constituted a security committee comprising of officials from the police, Rangers and intelligence agencies who share information on a daily basis.

CM Sindh spokesperson informed that the chief minister has put together four committees, namely an executive committee (including Chief Secretary), a civil committee (including Mayor Karachi), an intelligence committee (comprising of intelligence officers), and a security committee (consisting of police and Rangers), in view of the PSL final.

Others who were present at the meeting included the health minister, sports minister, chief secretary, Additional IG Karachi, Airport Security Force, DIG East and DIG South.

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