Former Pakistan umpire Shakoor Rana dies at 65

One of the game of cricket's best-known umpires, Shakoor Rana of Pakistan, has died at the age of 65. It's believed he suffered a heart attack at his home last night.

Shakoor Rana will inevitably be remembered for the confrontation which took place between him and the then England captain, Mike Gatting, during a tense session of play in the Faisalabad Test of 1987-88 between Pakistan and England. The incident, memorably caught on camera at the time, almost led to the tour coming to a premature end. Gatting today expressed sympathy, saying: "I feel sorry for his family."

A popular man, Shakoor was known to his friends as a jovial and hospitable character. He had happily been entertaining friends on the night of his death.

He was buried this morning amidst the prayers of his well-wishers. Apart from his friends and family, his funeral was attended by scores of cricketers past and present, fellow umpires, PCB officials, CricInfo, members of the press and media, cricket fans and admirers.

Shakoor Rana was born on April 4 1936 and belonged to a renowned sports family from Lahore; his brothers Shafqat Rana and Azmat Rana both represented Pakistan in Tests. A third brother, Sultan Rana, became a cricket administrator and is acting as a national selector for the junior teams.

Shakoor was a right-hand bat and right-arm medium-fast bowler. He played in 11 first-class games, making his debut in 1957-58 and playing his final game in 1969-70. He represented Railways, Lahore and Punjab with a highest score of 48 and a batting average of 12.55 and best bowling figures of 4-88, at an average of 36.41.

Shakoor's two sons, Maqsood and Mansoor, are engaged in first-class cricket on the domestic circuit. Apart from cricketers, the family also produced a film star: Moammar Rana, a son of former Test cricketer Shafqat Rana.

Shakoor Rana made his debut as a Test umpire against the West Indies at his home town of Lahore in 1974-75 and supervised the last Test against the visiting New Zealand team at Lahore in 1996-97. During his career as an umpire he supervised 18 Tests and 22 one-day internationals. He was a highly competent umpire; upright and bold in his decision making.

In Shakoor Rana's sudden death Pakistan has lost a highly-respected former umpire and a devoted lover of the game of cricket.