Tariq Butt has been umpiring matches in the UAE for 36-years but his “passionate hobby” is now over after being forced to retire due to health reasons.

The 66-year-old suffered a heart attack in November shortly after officiating a game for Dubai Cricket Council and after surviving the scare, the Pakistani expat felt now was the best time to call it quits.

He has lost count of how many matches he has taken charge of but admits it he will miss umpiring “very deeply”.

“After speaking to my children, it was the right time to quit as my health is very important,” he said.

“Of course, I will miss umpiring as I’ve officiated so many games, perhaps even more than 350 in domestic cricket. I’ll miss it very deeply as cricket is a sport I truly love.”

An umpiring stint was certainly not planned but Butt, an aspiring fast bowler, took up the role after suffering a serious ankle injury in 1980. As well as being in charge of local games in the country, often not taking his annual leave until the 10-month season is finished in July, his talents and knowledge were recognised on the international stage.

His CV includes being named fourth umpire of the Test series between Pakistan and the West Indies in 2002 and officiating the Richie Richardson-led World XI versus UAE matches in 1994.

During the first leg of the 2014 Indian Premier League, he was asked to officiate in a practice game between Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad.

It’s been a journey that has seen him meet some of the biggest stars in the sport, sharing moments with Pakistan legends Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and Saeed Ajmal, as well as Virat Kohli and Kevin Pietersen.

“It was a big honour to meet these superstars,” said the former Pakistan first-class cricketer. “They are really humble guys. I got the opportunity to see Waqar and Shoaib when there were here in 2002.

“Seeing Saeed Ajmal in 2009 was a great honour and he told me he had heard about me from those in the Pakistan national team, so that was very pleasing. And Virat Kohli was such a pleasant guy as we shared a lot of jokes during Royal Challengers’ practice game.”

While he will cherish those experiences forever, the UAE’s most experienced umpire is signing off with no regrets.

“I can look back at my career very positively,” he said.

“All careers have to come to an end one day but I’m very pleased I had a umpiring career that has seen me achieve great things as well as meeting new people. I’m very fond of cricket and want to offer my knowledge in some form of capacity.”