India Morning News
New Delhi: Dickie Bird, one of world’s most loved cricket umpires, has died at age of 92. The Yorkshire Cricket Club shared the news, and the England Cricket Board also paid tribute.
Bird worked as an umpire in more than 150 international matches. He was the first umpire to do three World Cup finals in a row – in 1975, 1979, and 1983. In the 1983 World Cup final at Lord’s, he gave the out decision that helped India beat the West Indies and win their first World Cup.
Dickie Bird was born on April 19, 1933, in Barnsley, England. He started as a cricketer and played for Yorkshire and Leicestershire, scoring over 3,000 runs. But his playing career was not very successful, and he retired at 32.
Career as an Umpire
After leaving cricket, he became an umpire in 1970. In 1973, he stood in his first Test match between England and New Zealand. Over the next 20 years, he became one of the most trusted and respected umpires in the game.
His last match was in 1996, in a Test between India and England. That game was also the debut match for Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid. At the end, both teams gave him a guard of honour as a farewell.
Bird umpired 66 Test matches and 69 ODIs. Cricket fans loved him for his fair decisions, simple style, and friendly nature. He will always be remembered as an umpire who gave the job a new respect and importance.
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