If you wander through the endless maze of Landa Bazaar in Lahore, chances are you’ll stumble upon a shop, which is run by a lithe sexagenarian whom you might have seen on television. Make no mistake, he is Asad Rauf, who used to be a part of ICC’s elite panel of umpires.
But now he runs two shops in Lahore’s most notorious market, renowned for selling second-hand goods at cheap prices. But how did Rauf reach there?
An experience of overseeing 49 Tests, 98 ODIs, and 23 T20Is is impressive enough for an umpire to live post-retirement days in comfort. Rauf remarks that he does this to support his staff. He has seen enough money in his cricketing days, and it hasn’t affected him a bit. “This isn’t for me, this is the daily wages of my staff, I work for them,” says Rauf to Paktv.
Rauf’s elder son has recently come back after completing his graduation in the USA, while the younger one is specially abled. “I have no greed. I have seen a lot of money in this world. I read the Namaz five times a day.”
Rauf’s umpiring career came to an abrupt halt in 2013 after the BCCI’s disciplinary committee found him guilty of accepting expensive gifts from the bookies. Mumbai Police filed a chargesheet against him for his involvement in a spot-fixing case, but couldn’t interrogate him as Rauf left the country soon after his name emerged.
Rauf has always denied these allegations. When the reporter nudged him about this incident, he said, “I had nothing to do with these issues, the allegations came from the BCCI’s side and they took the decision on me themselves.”
A year before the match-fixing scandals, Rauf was accused of exploiting a Mumbai-based woman on the pretext of marriage. “Even after the allegations from the girl, I had umpired in the IPL next season,” replied Rauf.
He hasn’t watched a single game since 2013. “I haven’t been in touch with cricket since 2013. Once I leave something I leave it completely. Anyway, I’ve umpired in so many games, I don’t think there’s anything left for me to see.”
Featured Image Credit: PakTv
