Umpire Dickie Bird, who officiated during Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid's memorable Test debuts at Lord's, dies at 92

DICKIE Bird, who was one of the on-field umpires during former India captains Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid's memorable Test debuts in England in 1996, died at the age of 92 on Tuesday. The news of Bird's death was confirmed by his former clubs Yorkshire and Leicestershire.

A former first-class English cricketer, Bird made his debut as an umpire in 1973. Since then, he went on to officiate in 66 Tests and 76 ODIs in men's and women's cricket over the next 23 years, which included the famous England vs India Test match at Lord's in 1996.

Both Ganguly and Dravid scored hundreds on Test debut in that game and went on to become stalwarts in Indian cricket. In fact, that Lord's Test was Bird's final game as an umpire in his career. The highlight of Bird's career was officiating in three ODI World Cup finals. Bird also received the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) award after being knighted by Britain's Prince Charles in 2012.

Before his umpiring career, Bird played 93 first-class matches for Yorkshire and Leicestershire, scoring 3314 runs overall, with a high score of 181 not out. The Yorkshire Cricket Club remembered Bird as “popular official in the game’s history.”

"Bird’s playing career was cut short by injury, but his legacy was truly forged in his role as an international umpire ... writing his name ... as the most famous and popular official in the game’s history," Yorkshire said.

Leicestershire said Bird was one of the most iconic figures in the game of cricket, known worldwide for his "fairness, humour and love of the game" throughout his "legendary umpiring career."

"Leicestershire CCC would like to extend its heartfelt condolences to Dickie’s family, friends, and all those in the cricketing community who were inspired by him," the club added.