Umpiring great Harold Dickie Bird has passed away at the age of 92 on September 23, 2025. Bird, during his extraordinary umpiring career, officiated 66 Tests and 69 ODIs. He also stood in the initial three
World Cup finals (1975, 1979 and 1983). He retired from umpiring in 1996. Before making his career in umpiring, he served Yorkshireas a top-order batter in England’s domestic cricket. In First-Class cricket, he played 93 matches and scored 3314 runs with two hundreds and 14 fifties in 170 innings. His average was 20.71.
In 1986, Bird received a knighthood, MBE for his outstanding contribution to the gentlemen’s sport. After 26 years of MBE, he received an OBE in 2012 for his excellent career in the sport. On the legendary umpire’s demise, Yorkshire issued a statement in which they remarked, “The thoughts of everyone at the Yorkshire County Cricket Club are with Dickie’s family and friends during this time. He will be truly missed by all at the club having spent an incredible amount of time in support of everyone here and will be remembered as one the greatest characters in Yorkshire’s history.”
Dickie Bird showed up in the first Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025
Dickie Bird also showed up in the opening match of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 played in Leeds from June 20 to 24. He recorded his presence in all five days of the contest and also met with former India players and World Cup 1983 champions Roger Binny and Sunil Gavaskar.
Bird was a prominent figure in international cricket and his contributions were also remembered by former England Prime Minister David Cameron, who took to X and wrote, “So very sorry to hear that the great Dickie Bird has pulled stumps. He was a national treasure and I was fortunate to have shared some hugely enjoyable times with him over the years. At 92 he had a good innings. Farewell friend.”
