KABUL: International Cricket Council umpire Bismillah Jan Shinwari (41) has passed away. He died while undergoing treatment for an illness.
Shinwari, a native of Afghanistan, has refereed 25 international one-day matches and 21 Twenty20 matches. His first international umpire was the Ireland-Afghanistan match in 2017.
There are unconfirmed reports that Shinwari had undergone surgery in Pakistan to reduce body fat and that his condition had worsened since then.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a statement that Bismillah Jan Shinwari was one of the greatest promoters of cricket in Afghanistan. The statement also said that it deeply mourns the loss of his family, relatives and the cricketing world.
ICC Chairman Jay Shah also mourned Bismillah’s death and expressed condolences to his family. “His contributions to the game were huge, and he will be deeply missed by the cricket community. We are profoundly saddened by this loss and extend our condolences to his family and loved ones,” he said.