Umpire Aleem Dar overtakes Steve Bucknor's record by standing in 129th Test match

The 51-year-old is the longest-serving member of the ICC's Elite panel, having first joined in 2004

Aleem Dar has claimed the record for most Test matches as an on-field umpire by standing alongside Nigel Llong in Perth for the first Test between Australia and New Zealand.

Dar, who first officiated at international level in February 2000 in an ODI between Sri Lanka and his native Pakistan, takes the honour from Steve Bucknor, the Jamaican umpire who stood in 128 matches before announcing his retirement in February 2009.

The 51-year-old has now officiated in 381 men's international matches across all formats, putting him 50 clear of second-placed Rudi Koertzen.

"This is one milestone I had never thought of when I began my umpiring career," Dar remarked.

"It is a truly amazing feeling and a high point of my life when I take the field here in Australia, thousands of miles from where I started my international career at home in Gujranwala.

"Steve Bucknor was my idol and it is only sinking in now that I will have officiated in more Test matches than him. It has been a long journey which would not have been possible without the support of my family."

^{Aleem Dar officiated his first Test match in 2003}

Dar is currently the longest-serving member of the ICC's Elite panel of match officials, having first been appointed following the retirement of Srinivas Venkataraghavan in 2004, and remains the sixth-youngest member of the 12-man Test panel.

In addition to serving as an on-field umpire in 129 Tests to date, Dar has featured as TV umpire in a further 23, and his 200th ODI fixture came during a pre-World Cup game between Bangladesh and the West Indies in May this year.

Adrian Griffith, the ICC's senior manager for umpires and referees, congratulated Dar on his achievements: "Aleem has been a dedicated and consistent umpire over the years. He has been a member of the ICC Elite panel for over 15 years, standing across formats with distinction."

"I congratulate Aleem on this milestone and wish him all the best for the game. It is not easy officiating in this modern day of intense scrutiny, but I am sure with his dedication he will continue to move umpiring forward in the years to come."

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