In Brief
Renowned umpire Dickie Bird passed away
Made significant contributions as an umpire in Test and One-Day cricket matches
Started his career standing as an umpire for the first time in 1970
(Dickie Bird) The most popular umpire in cricket history, Dickie Bird, passed away at the age of 92. He made significant contributions as an umpire in Test and One-Day cricket matches. His cricket career began as a batsman for Yorkshire in 1956.
In first-class cricket, he played 93 matches, scored 2 centuries, and made a best of 181 not out. However, his journey as a player ended in 1964 due to an injury. After this, in 1970, he made a new start to his career by standing on the field as an umpire for the first time.
A special feature of his umpiring was that if the batsmen had doubts about a decision, he would give the decision again. Many times his LBW decisions were controversial, but his consistency earned him respect. Many anecdotes from his umpiring career are still remembered today.
The players often communicated with them affectionately. The most famous incident was when Allan Lamb brought an old mobile phone to the field in his pocket and Ian Botham surprised Bird by making it ring. Their dream of pursuing a career in football was not fulfilled due to surgery at the age of 15.
Due to their contribution to cricket, they were awarded the MBE in 1986 and the OBE in 2012. In 2009, a bronze statue was erected in their hometown. In 1998, they officiated their last first-class match as an umpire.