Harold Dennis ‘Dickie’ Bird ( 19 April 1933 – 23 September 2025 ) was an English cricketer & international cricket umpire. (Look at the ‘3’ s in his life! ). He was 92. Just short of an year, it would have been 93, then!
Also just an year short of his cricketing appearances. Do you believe in fate ??
In his career, he became a well regarded figure among the players & the viewing public. Due to his high standards as an umpire & also his many eccentricities.
He played first class cricket for Yorkshire & Leicestershire as a right handed batsman, but scored only two centuries in his 93 appearances . ( Are n’t appearances deceptive ? )
His career was blighted by a knee injury which forced him to retire at the age of 31. ( Was n’t that the real start to his career? Who would have remembered him as they do today? )
He umpired in 66 Test matches ( at the time a World record) & 69 One Day Internationals, including three World Cup finals. ( Who has bettered him ? Nobody.)
Bird ‘s autobiography published in 1997, sold more than a million copies.
On 30 June 2009, he unveiled a life size bronze statue of himself, erected in his honor near his birthplace in Barnsley.
As Simon Taufel says, ‘One of the key qualities an umpire must possess is Humility – the ability to know & accept the role that we play’. Does n’t he say it all ?
Fly away little birdie to greener pastures……
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