Who is Dickie Bird? Know former iconic England umpire who dies aged 92

Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird was one of the most beloved umpires in cricket history. He died at the age of 92. The umpire officiated in 66 Test matches and 69 One-day international games, including three World Cup finals. He started his career with the bat for Yorkshire in the top order in 1956 and later became the president of the club in 2014.

With the bat, the right-handed batter smashed 3314 first-class runs in 170 innings at an average of just over 20, with two centuries and 14 half-centuries at the best score of 181 runs against Glamorgan. When he moved to Leicestershire in 1960, his career was cut short by injury four years later, as he decided to take up umpiring to become a household name.

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As an umpire, Dickie was known for his reluctance to raise the finger on LBW appeals, as several of those decisions would have been overturned in the DRS era. On the morning of the fifth Test between England and India at Lord’s, he arrived in the middle with tears amidst the guard of honour and gave captain Mike Atherton out in the first over of the game.

Renowned cricketing umpire Dickie Bird dies at 92

One of the other moments of Bird’s career was from the 1995 Test in Manchester against the West Indies when the play came to a halt for an excess of sunlight as it was a reflection of the greenhouse behind the bowler’s arm. In that game, Bird dropped the pocketful of marbles to count the number of deliveries of an over.

“Play was halted momentarily while Dickie scrambled around on his hands and knees looking for his counters. I've lost my marbles! I've lost my marbles! He cried. Most of us thought he had lost his marbles a long time ago.” Atherton wrote in his autobiography.

“The thoughts of everyone at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club are with Dickie's family and friends during this time. He will be truly missed by all at the Club, having spent an incredible amount of time in support of everyone here, and will be remembered as one of the greatest characters in Yorkshire's history.” Yorkshire Cricket Club released the statement to confirm the news of Bird’s death.