Srinagar, Sept. 4 -- Asif (43), who stood as an on-field umpire in the high-octane Pakistan-Afghanistan clash on September 2, began his journey from the narrow lanes of Baramulla where he first played cricket, in the absence of proper playgrounds.

His family, while recalling his early passion, said, Asif used to play in the bylanes as there was no ground here. "It's not just our pride, but the pride of the whole Baramulla, in fact the entire valley."

After basic schooling in Baramulla, Asif pursued higher studies at Aligarh before moving to Dubai for work. In 2017, he completed his Level-1 umpiring course in Dubai and later trained in Sri Lanka, which paved the way for his international career.

Local Auqaf Head, Malik Shabir expressed ...