Legendary umpire Dickie Bird passes away aged 92

On Tuesday, September 23, the legendary English umpire Dickie Bird passed away, aged 92. Notably, Bird’s umpiring career spanned over two decades as he officiated in 66 Tests and 69 ODIs, including three World Cup finals.

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Yorkshire County Cricket Club has released a statement, saying it was with “profound sadness” that it announced the demise of Bird, terming him as “the most famous and popular official in the game's history”. Importantly, Bird has held the position of Yorkshire’s club president since 2014. 

"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," the 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,” the statement read.

"He is synonymous with Yorkshire Cricket, where he has been one of the most loyal supporters. In 2014, he was named president of The Yorkshire County Cricket Club, a role he held with pride and distinction,” the statement concluded.

For the unversed, Bird has represented the Yorkshire Cricket Club and the Leicestershire Cricket Club during his playing days, playing a total of 93 first-class games, scoring 3314 runs, and two List-A games. 

After his playing career, he kicked off his international umpiring career in 1973. Interestingly, his last international game as an umpire came in 1996 in the Lord’s Test between India and England, which was the debut game for Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

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It’s important to note that Bird was appointed an MBE in 1986 and an OBE in 2012 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the game of cricket. He stood in his last first-class match between Yorkshire and Warwickshire at Headingley in 1998.

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