Ahmed Shah Pakteen becomes first on-field Test umpire from Afghanistan
Zimbabwe are currently on a tour of the United Arab Emirates to play a two-test series against Afghanistan followed by three T20Is. The first test between the two sides scheduled from March 2 to 6 at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, ended in a 10-wicket win for Zimbabwe. Four players made their debut in the test match. But there was also a fifth individual appearing in his first test match — he was Ahmad Shah Pakteen, the first on-field umpire from Afghanistan to officiate in a test match. The other on-field umpire in the match was the Pakistan veteran Aleem Dar.
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Member of International Panel of Umpires
While the match gave Pakteen his first test match experience as an on-field umpire, the Afghan official officiated in his first international match back in January 2017. He has in fact officiated in 35 matches, including 20 T20Is and 15 ODIs. Forty-four-year-old Ahmed Shah Pakteen belongs to the International Panel of ICC Umpires and has officiated in games in the 2015–17 ICC Intercontinental Cup. He made his international umpiring debut on 14 January 2017, when he became an on-field umpire in a T20I match between Hong Kong and Scotland in the 2017 Desert T20 Challenge tournament. On 15 March 2017, Pakteen was an on-field umpire for the first time in a One Day International game in an encounter between Ireland and Afghanistan.