Aleem Dar wins ICC Umpire of the Year 2010

Umpire Aleem Dar has won the David Shepherd Trophy for the second time after being named ICC Umpire of the Year at the LG ICC Awards in Bengaluru tonight.

Dar, who is 42 and from Pakistan, was voted to this award by the 10 Full Member captains as well as the eight-man Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, based on his decision statistics and officiating skills over the past 12 months.

It is the second year in a row that he has received the ICC award which has been newly named after the late England umpire David Shepherd and upon collecting the trophy from Chris Broad, Dar said: "I think the fact I'm still playing cricket in Pakistan makes me a good umpire, in the last four times I've played cricket I scored centuries so I definitely think that has helped.

"I'm honoured to have been named the winner for the second year in row."

Dar beat off strong competition from his colleagues on the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires Steve Davis, Tony Hill and five-time ICC Umpire of the Year Simon Taufel.

Dar, who made his international debut as an umpire in 2000, joined the Emirates Elite Panel in 2004. In the voting period of these awards, Dar stood in three Tests and 17 ODIs, as well as nine Twenty20 Internationals. He stood in the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies, where he was an on-field umpire in eight of the matches, including the final between England and Australia.

The Umpire of the Year is one of 12 individual and team honours handed out during the ICC Awards. Based on the period between 24 August 2009 and 10 August 2010, the LG ICC Awards 2010 - presented in association with FICA - take into account performances by players and officials in a remarkable period for the game.

That period includes such high-profile events as the ICC Men's and Women's World Twenty20 2010 in West Indies, the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa and the ICC World Cricket League Division 1 2010 in the Netherlands, as well as several bilateral Test and ODI series.

The LG ICC Awards ceremony is now in its seventh year and this year is being held in Bengaluru. Previous ceremonies were held in London (2004), Sydney (2005), Mumbai (2006), Johannesburg (2007 and 2009) and Dubai (2008). (icc-cricket.yahoo.net)