Legendary umpire Dickie Bird passed away on September 23, 2025. He was 92.
One of the most-respected umpires in the history of cricket, Bird stood in 66 Tests (a record at the time of his retirement) and 76 ODIs between 1973 and 1996.
Born in Barnsley, Bird was a promising batter for Yorkshire, but injuries restricted him to 93 first-class matches. He switched to umpiring, and officiated in his first first-class game in 1970. Three years later, he stood in his first Test match.
Bird’s first summer as a Test umpire, in 1973, was marked by two unusual events. Ar Edgbaston, his colleague Arthur Fagg left the ground in protest against the conduct of the West Indian team, leaving Bird to officiate from both ends. Then, during the bomb scare at Lord’s, Bird sat on the covered pitch surrounded by fans, resulting in one of cricket’s most famous photographs.
Bird stood in the final of the 1975 World Cup when, during a crowd invasion, his cap went missing. A famous Bird anecdote involved a bus conductor donning the hat and boasting to Bird about the act.
Throughout his career, Bird remained one of the most-respected umpires around the world. When he strode out in his last Test match, at Lord’s in 1996, the England and Indian teams gave him a standing ovation.
“Dickie Bird became a national treasure”
Tributes to Bird have poured in. “Dickie Bird became a national treasure, known not only for his umpiring excellence but also for his eccentricities and warmth,” mentioned Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s tribute.
The two words were echoed by former British Prime Minister David Cameron as well: “He was a national treasure and I was fortunate to have shared some hugely enjoyable times with him over the years.”
“He was one of those umpires to whom mishaps would occur – bad light would always seem to come when Dickie Bird was umpiring,” reminisced Jonathan Agnew on Radio 5 Live. “The whole pitch at Headingley flooded one time because there was a problem with the drainage system and Dickie Bird was umpiring. He took the players off once because it was too light at a test match at Old Trafford because the sunlight was shining off the glass roof. All of these things fell to Dickie and yet he was a terrific umpire. He was brilliant, all the players loved him.”
