Legendary umpire Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird passes away at 92

The most beloved umpire in cricket’s history, Harold “Dickie” Bird, has passed away at the age of 92. Yorkshire County Cricket Club confirmed that Bird died at his residence on Tuesday.

Bird’s umpiring career spanned more than two decades, during which he stood in 66 Test matches and 69 ODIs, including the first three men’s World Cup finals. He retired in 1996 at Lord’s and was given a guard of honour by England and India players.

Bird made his first-class umpiring debut in 1970

Born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, Bird’s first love was football, but a knee operation at 15 curtailed that dream. He turned to cricket, playing 93 first-class matches for Yorkshire and Leicestershire between 1956 and 1964. A right-hand batter, he scored 3,314 runs, including two centuries, with a best of 181 not out against Glamorgan. However, an injury cut short his playing career and opened the door to umpiring.

Bird made his first-class umpiring debut in 1970, and his international career began in 1973. He quickly became famous for his idiosyncrasies and was known for being anxious about timekeeping. 

His approach to leg-before-wicket decisions became his trademark. Before the advancement of technology, Bird consistently gave batters the benefit of the doubt, though he memorably sent England captain Mike Atherton back lbw in the first over of his final Test. Geoffrey Boycott, his long-time friend from Barnsley Cricket Club, described him as absolutely brilliant as an umpire and a legend admired worldwide for his fairness. 

Furthermore, Bird sold over a million copies of his autobiography, the best-selling sports book in Britain at the time. He was honoured with an MBE in 1986 and an OBE in 2012. In 2009, a bronze statue of Bird was erected in his hometown, Barnsley. He later served as Yorkshire president in 2014.

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