©ICC

Umpire Bismillah Jan Shinwari of the International Cricket Council died on Monday night. The ICC official was aged 41 years and died on 7 th July 2025 in Peshawar, Pakistan, after he underwent a weight loss surgery to lose fat in the abdomen. His burial occurred on Tuesday in his ancestral graveyard at Chin district of Nangarhar province.

Successful international cricket umpire Shinwari officiated in 34 One Day Internationals (ODIs), 26 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), 31 First-Class matches, 51 List A matches, and 96 T20 matches in the domestic T20 competition. In December 2017, he was appointed in his international debut by officiating an ODI between Afghanistan and Ireland in Sharjah.

Shinwari had been experiencing health issues that prompted him to seek medical treatment across the border in Pakistan. The decision to travel to Peshawar for the surgical procedure appears to have been made due to the availability of specialized medical facilities there.

“He got sick and went to Peshawar, saying he wanted to have abdominal fat removed. He was hospitalised for a few days. The surgery was performed, but unfortunately, he passed away at 5 PM after the operation.” - Seyda Jan, Shinwari's brother | News 18 reports

The family brought his body back through the Torkham border crossing overnight and buried him in their ancestral cemetery in Achin. Shinwari is survived by five sons and seven daughters.

"Bismillah was a prominent umpire respected by players, peers, and officials alike. He was a regular on the international cricket circuit and had a long career ahead of him. His contributions to the game were huge, and he will be deeply missed by the cricket community." - ICC Chairman Jay Shah

"ACB's leadership, staff, and entire AfghanAtalan family are deeply shocked and saddened by the demise of Bismillah Jan Shinwari, a respected member of Afghanistan's elite umpiring panel. Bismillah Jan was a great servant of Afghan cricket." - Afghanistan Cricket Board

"Bismillah Jan Shinwari made unforgettable efforts to develop cricket in Afghanistan and served as an excellent umpire in international matches."- Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai

Beyond his umpiring duties, Shinwari carried significant family responsibilities. According to relatives, he was not only supporting his own family but also caring for nearly 30 to 35 other families. 

Rahman Ali Shinwari, a relative, explained: "In addition to supporting his own family, he was also the caretaker for nearly 30 to 35 other families. Previously, several of his family members had died in a tragedy, and he was supporting their families too."

Shinwari had already survived a tragedy in October of 2020, a car bomb in the Nangarhar Province incident, which had killed 15 people and injured 30 others. Early reports erroneously claimed that Shinwari had been killed in the explosion, although he subsequently declared himself a living person to the media houses.

Shinwari's contributions to Afghan cricket extend far beyond his impressive statistics. He worked to raise the bar of umpiring within the Afghanistan fraternity, and others who are younger scholars have started following the steps of this veteran umpire. His death is a great loss to both the Afghan and international cricket as well because this is a time where Afghan cricket is not only growing but also developing its niche on the international stage.