Legendary umpire Dickie Bird passes away
Legendary English umpire Dickie Bird has passed away, aged 92, on Tuesday. In his umpiring career spanning over two decades, Bird stood in 66 Tests and 69 ODIs, including the first three Men’s ODI World Cup finals.
“Dickie Bird enjoyed an illustrious career as an international umpire, writing his name into history as the most famous and popular official in the game’s history,” Yorkshire Cricket Club said in a statement.
“Over a distinguished career, he officiated in 66 Test matches and 69 one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals — earning the admiration of players and fans alike for his integrity, humour, and unmistakable style.
Bird played for English counties Yorkshire and Leicestershire but made his name as an international umpire. In his domestic career, Bird played 93 first-class games, scoring 3314 runs, and 2 List A matches before kicking off his international umpiring career in 1973.
Bird remained unmarried but formed great friendships, including with the late Queen Elizabeth, writer Stephen King, and a generation of British Prime Ministers such as John Major.
He authored two best-sellers — My Autobiography with Keith Lodge and The White Cap and Bails.
He retired in 1996, having last officiated in the Lord’s Test against India that marked the debuts of former Indian captains Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.
After retiring from umpiring, Bird remained active through quiz sessions, after-dinner talks, and chat shows, which were highly entertaining.
ALSO READ : mi vs rcb all match result 2008 to 2024
