Tributes have poured in from across the sporting and political world following the death of legendary cricket umpire Dickie Bird at the age of 92. Bird, who officiated in 66 Tests and 69 one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals, was known for his eccentric flair and beloved by players and fans alike.
Former prime minister David Cameron led the tributes, calling Bird “a national treasure” and saying he was “fortunate to have shared some hugely enjoyable times with him over the years.” Sir Geoffrey Boycott, a lifelong friend, said Bird was “loved by so many and became a legend,” adding that “players all over the world respected and admired him for his firmness, fairness and he did it with a sense of humour.”
Bird was never far from incident, once halting play at Old Trafford because of bright sunlight and sitting on the covers at Lord's with spectators during a bomb threat in 1973. He also sold over a million copies of his autobiography, filled with anecdotes such as the time he bumped into a bus conductor wearing the hat stolen from his head during the 1975 World Cup final.
Born Harold in 1933, Bird was nicknamed Dickie by a school friend. He played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and Leicestershire before making his name as an umpire. He was awarded an MBE for services to cricket and later an OBE for his charity work, including the Dickie Bird Foundation. During the pandemic, he spoke movingly about loneliness and urged elderly people to get out of the house.
Bird was made Yorkshire club president in 2014 and remained a devoted supporter of both Yorkshire and his boyhood football club, Barnsley FC. A statue of Bird stands in Barnsley, raised on a plinth in 2012 after locals would hang chip boxes from his raised finger. Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan wrote a poem in his memory, saying it was “loving and sentimental like Dickie was.”
