Shakoor Rana
Encyclopedia
Shakoor Rana was a Pakistan
i cricketer and umpire
and 12 wicket
s. He was overshadowed by his brothers Shafqat Rana
and Azmat Rana
who both represented Pakistan
at test level.
, the city that had become his hometown. The match was between Pakistan
and the West Indies. His career continued until his last match between Pakistan
and New Zealand
in 1996 also at Lahore. He stood in 18 test matches
and 22 One Day International.
in the finger-wagging incident that stopped the Faislabad test in 1987. The image of the English
cricket captain and an international umpire shouting at each other with fingers waved in the other's face was a shocking one for the image of the game.
The incident in question occurred on the second day of the test as Gatting was controversially accused by Rana of making an alteration to the fielding positions as Eddie Hemmings
ran in to bowl. Rana stopped the game and accused Gatting of cheating. Rana had already upset the English by wearing a Pakistan sweater and placing Mudassar Nazar
's cap on his own head. The game was stopped by the incident and only resumed the following day. Rana and Gatting were both accused of using foul language. Shakoor refused to stand again in that Test until he received an unconditional apology from Gatting for the language used in the dispute. Gatting was threatened with being stripped of the England captaincy and was forced into issuing a written apology to Rana. Gatting has since expressed regret at his part in the row.
, New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney
threatened to lead his side from the field following a controversial decision of not-out for Pakistan player Javed Miandad
.
have since brought in neutral officials. Interestingly, the country who put forward the Neutral Umpires choice in ICC meeting after the Shakoor and Gatting row was Pakistan.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i cricketer and umpire
Playing career
Shakoor Rana did not have a particularly distinguished playing career, making only 11 first class appearances and accumulating just 226 runsRun (cricket)
In the sport of cricket, a run is the basic unit of scoring. Runs are scored by a batsman, and the aggregate of the scores of a team's batsmen constitutes the team's score. A batsman scoring 50 or 100 runs , or any higher multiple of 50 runs, is considered a particular achievement...
and 12 wicket
Wicket
In the sport of cricket the word wicket has several distinct meanings:-Definitions of wicket:Most of the time, the wicket is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch...
s. He was overshadowed by his brothers Shafqat Rana
Shafqat Rana
Shafqat Rana is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in five Tests from 1964 to 1969....
and Azmat Rana
Azmat Rana
Azmat Rana is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in one Test and 2 ODIs in 1980....
who both represented Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
at test level.
Umpiring career
Shakoor Rana became much more notable for his umpiring than his playing career. He made his international debut as an umpire in 1974 at LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, the city that had become his hometown. The match was between Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and the West Indies. His career continued until his last match between Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1996 also at Lahore. He stood in 18 test matches
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and 22 One Day International.
Gatting controversy
In one of the most controversial incidents in cricketing history, Shakoor Rana notably came face-to-face with Mike GattingMike Gatting
Michael "Mike" William Gatting OBE is a former English cricketer, who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and for England from 1977 to 1995, captaining the national side in twenty-three Test matches between 1986 and 1988...
in the finger-wagging incident that stopped the Faislabad test in 1987. The image of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
cricket captain and an international umpire shouting at each other with fingers waved in the other's face was a shocking one for the image of the game.
The incident in question occurred on the second day of the test as Gatting was controversially accused by Rana of making an alteration to the fielding positions as Eddie Hemmings
Eddie Hemmings (cricketer)
Edward Ernest Hemmings is a former English cricketer, who played in sixteen Tests and thirty three ODIs for England from 1982 to 1991. He made his England debut relatively late in his career, at the age of 33, having predominantly represented Nottinghamshire in the County Championship...
ran in to bowl. Rana stopped the game and accused Gatting of cheating. Rana had already upset the English by wearing a Pakistan sweater and placing Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar Nazar
Mudassar Nazar is a former Pakistani cricketer with a career in Test cricket for Pakistan and in league cricket in Pakistan and England...
's cap on his own head. The game was stopped by the incident and only resumed the following day. Rana and Gatting were both accused of using foul language. Shakoor refused to stand again in that Test until he received an unconditional apology from Gatting for the language used in the dispute. Gatting was threatened with being stripped of the England captaincy and was forced into issuing a written apology to Rana. Gatting has since expressed regret at his part in the row.
Coney incident
Gatting was not the only international captain to have had a run-in with Rana.In December 1984 during a Test match in KarachiKarachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney
Jeremy Coney
Jeremy Vernon Coney MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer, who played 52 Test matches and 88 ODIs for New Zealand, captaining them in 15 Tests and 25 ODIs. He was one of New Zealand's most successful batsmen, at least by average, and he made 16 fifties, but centuries often eluded him and he had to...
threatened to lead his side from the field following a controversial decision of not-out for Pakistan player Javed Miandad
Javed Miandad
Mohammad Javed Miandad Khan , popularly known as Javed Miandad , is a former Pakistani cricketer who played between 1975 and 1996. He is Pakistan's leading run scorer in Test cricket. He has served as a captain of the Pakistan national cricket team...
.
Legacy
The controversy surrounding Shakoor Rana was a driver in the move towards neutral umpires at Test matches. The home side had previously supplied the umpires but the International Cricket CouncilInternational Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
have since brought in neutral officials. Interestingly, the country who put forward the Neutral Umpires choice in ICC meeting after the Shakoor and Gatting row was Pakistan.