Sharjah: Veteran umpire Iftikhar Ali is on a mission to groom umpires in the UAE and will hold a free umpiring clinic for beginners from April 27 to May 3 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on behalf of Sharjah Cricket Council.
Speaking to Gulf News, Ali, who has umpired almost every day during the domestic cricket season for 28 years, said: “I have been lucky to learn about umpiring from many great umpires, attended courses conducted by legendary international umpires and closely interacted with some of the best in business. I want to now share whatever I have learnt with those who are keen to take up umpiring.”
Ali is a master in interpreting the rules of the game. He stood fourth in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) umpiring course held in Qatar while qualifying as a Level Two umpire.
“We need a lot of umpires in the UAE. There is terrible shortage of good quality umpires now and I want to contribute in some way to usher more umpires into the game,” said Ali, who has officiated in International Cricket Council World Cricket League, Champions Trophy qualifiers and Under-19 World Cup qualifiers in venues that include Malaysia, Kuwait and Canada.
“In [the] 2001 ICC qualifiers for the 2003 World Cup, I got to closely interact with umpire Darrell Hair. He gave me invaluable tips and even [gave] me a book on umpiring,” said Ali, who has been the fourth umpire in 15 One-day Internationals, two Test matches and one Twenty20 International.
“I learnt the basics of umpiring from international umpires Maboob Shah and late K.T Francis. Pakistan umpire Ahsan Raza also has helped me a lot. If I too can help umpires in some way, I will be happy,” said Ali, how has been the fourth umpire in 15 One Day Internationals, two Test matches and one Twenty20 Internationals.
Ali works at the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority.
“I finish my office work around 2pm and that has helped me officiate regularly in day-night domestic matches. I am never at home on Fridays as I will be certainly umpiring matches.”
As someone who is so passionate about the game, Ali has inspired his children to become cricketers too. His son Amir Iftikhar represented the UAE junior team and bagged the ACC award for the best fielder. His eldest son Atif Iftikhar is today a Level-2 coach at the ICC Academy.
Iftikhar believes that every umpire should strive to be the best.
“My aim is to officiate in a One-day International. My love for umpiring may one day help me achieve that dream,” said Ali, whose classes will be held from 7.30pm till 10.30pm every day.
To register for the course, contact Mansoor Pasha on 055-9948387 or K. Ansari on 06-5433154.
