Former umpire Dickie Bird rings the bell ahead of a test match at Lord's cricket ground in London, in 2015. Photo: AP
Known universally as "Dickie", Harold Bird was a charismatic and much-loved former cricket umpire. The Englishman officiated in 66 test matches and three World Cup finals and transcended his sport: announcing his death his county cricket team Yorkshire (where he was made president in 2014) described him as a "national treasure”. Bird was initially a player, with spells with Yorkshire and Leicestershire, but his career was cut short by injury at the age of 32. He stood as umpire in his first English county match in 1970 and his first test three years later. In 1975, Bird took charge of the inaugural men’s Cricket World Cup final. At his final test in 1996, a guard of honour by the players of England and India at Lord’s reduced him to tears. His autobiography chalked up more than a million sales, becoming Britain’s biggest-selling sports book in the process. Dickie Bird died on September 22 aged 92. — Agencies/Allied Media
