Dar withdrawn from India-South Africa series after protests

MUMBAI (Reuters) – Pakistan umpire Aleem Dar has been withdrawn from the ongoing series between India and South Africa, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Monday.

The ICC said it decided to remove Dar from the series after protesters stormed Indian cricket’s headquarters, demanding his removal.

“Under the present circumstances, it will be unreasonable to expect from Aleem that he will be able to perform his duties to the best of his abilities,” the ICC said in a statement.

“As such, he has been withdrawn and his replacement will be announced in due course.”

Dar, a member of the ICC’s elite panel of umpires, had been appointed to officiate in each of the five one-day internationals between India and South Africa.

He stood in the first three matches but will skip the last two with the ICC confirming the decision was made as a direct result of the protests.

“The ICC has made the decision following Monday’s incident in Mumbai where a group of extremists stormed the Board of Control for Cricket in India offices, and threatened to prevent the umpire from standing in the fifth ODI on Sunday.”

The fourth match is scheduled for Chennai on Thursday and fifth for Mumbai no Sunday.

(Reporting by Julian Linden; Editing by Rex Gowar)