Dickie Bird: Married to cricket, and Yorkshire for equal measure!

It was back in 1996 that Harold 'Dickie' Bird, the legendary English cricket umpire, officiated in his last Test match — an India vs England contest at Lord's. The Yorkshire man was mighty pleased, even a tad emotional, as players of both teams gave him a standing ovation ahead of the game, which saw the debuts of a certain Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

The Bird aura lingered even after calling time on umpiring altogether, with his last match being one between Yorkshire and Warwickshire at Headingley in 1998. His epic journey finally ended at 92 on Tuesday, peacefully at his Barnsley home, marking the end of an enduring love affair with cricket and reminding us of the cliché that they don’t make men like Bird anymore.

As the English cricket community grieved his death, one stumbled upon an old interview of Bird on why he didn’t get married, and his answer summed up both his romance with the game and his wry sense of humour. Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Bird had said: “I’ve had girlfriends — I’m not afraid to admit it — and I nearly married twice. But I never married because in cricket, you are never at home. I thought it would never work. It would have been wonderful to have a lad and watch him play. I missed that. But you can’t have everything. I gave myself to cricket, and it has given me a real good life.”

This in essence sumps up Dickie Bird, MBE, OBE, and one of cricket’s most universally loved umpires, who officiated in 66 Tests and 76 one-day internationals, including three World Cup finals between 1973 and 1996.

Bird was very often the go-to for an interview for cricket writers from all over the globe covering any event in England. Shayan Acharya of The Hindu, possibly the last journalist to interview him in end-July while in north England to cover the India-England Test series, recalled: ‘’There was no perceptible change in his health from what I had seen during the 2019 ICC World Cup. He had a slight hearing difficulty, not unusual at his age, but revealed that he was fit enough to make his own breakfast and go for long walks, and he was still driving.’’

Yorkshire, whom he played for and served as president, described him as a ‘’national treasure, known not only for his umpiring excellence but also for his eccentricities and warmth".

‘’He leaves behind a legacy of sportsmanship, humility and joy — and a legion of admirers across generations,’’ Yorkshire said in a statement. The England and Wales Cricket Board said: ‘’Everyone at the ECB is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Dickie Bird. A proud Yorkshireman and a much-loved umpire, he will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Dickie.’’

Not many are familiar with his cricketing credentials, though. Bird was a handy player who liked to open the batting, but a persistent knee injury disrupted his progress. He recorded two first-class centuries in 93 matches, including 181 not out against Glamorgan at Bradford in 1959 after standing in as opener for Ken Taylor who was on international duty. He never represented his country but scored more than 3,000 runs at an average of 20.71 for Yorkshire and Leicestershire, before a four-year stint racking up runs for Paignton and coaching at Plymouth College.

Michael Parkinson, a late journalist and TV host and a great friend of Bird's, one said about him: “Only Shakespeare could have invented a character so full of life’s rich juices as Dickie Bird. Cricket’s genius has been to accommodate his foibles and celebrate his humour.”

Go well, Dickie Bird…