Ali, who has been the fourth umpire for many One Day Internationals and Test matches, was fourth in the exams following the ACC umpiring course in Qatar.
Speaking to Gulf News after receiving the recognition, Ali said: "It is a great honour to get such a prestigious certificate. The seven-day course in Qatar was a great experience as the classes were conducted by former international umpires Mehboob Shah of Pakistan and K.T. Francis of Sri Lanka.
"They conducted written as well as practical tests through a match arranged for testing our abilities. It was a great feeling to finish among the top four."
Ali also appeared for the course and test in 2009.
"The ACC hands over the certificate only after evaluating the performance for nearly two years. It is mandatory to officiate in top ACC tournaments, too, and I got to officiate in the ACC Twenty20 tournament in the UAE," said Ali, who has been the fourth umpire in more than 10 ODIs and in Pakistan's Test matches against West Indies and Australia.
"I am thankful to the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) for giving me the opportunity and to Mazhar Khan, ECB administrator, for his encouragement," added Ali, who will be the third umpire for the England vs ICC Associate and Affiliate XI warm-up match that starts on Saturday.
Love for the game
Ali works at the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (SEWA).
"My office duty gets over by around 2pm and it has helped me officiate regularly in day-night domestic matches. No Friday passes without me umpiring a match," said Ali, who first became an umpire in 1985.
Ali's love for the game has rubbed off on his two sons, Aamer and Atif, who have represented the UAE in international matches. Aamer even bagged the best fielder award in an Asian junior tournament.
Sometimes Ali has to officiate in matches involving his children. "That is the only time when I am under pressure," he joked.
"My aim is to become an international umpire and get to officiate in one-day matches. My love for umpiring has achieved so much for me and so I hope I will realise this dream too," said the 53-year-old.
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