AA Edit | Farewell Dickie: Cricket's Gentle Giant

The cricket world pointed a finger at the sky on Tuesday, in tune with the most famous signal of a celebrated umpire who lived and loved the game, only to be loved back manifold by players, fans and officials alike. Aged 92, Harold ‘Dickie’ Bird passed away.

Bird was a gentle giant who commanded respect from the toughest and most aggressive of cricketers, disciplining them with a firm hand, nay finger, on the field in 66 Tests and 69 One-Day Internationals between 1975 and 1996. The English legend’s last match was the first Test for two future Indian icons — Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid — against England at Lord’s.

Dickie was also the man who made the last call which sent India into raptures at the 1983 World Cup final against West Indies. He adjudged No. 11 Michael Holding out leg-before-wicket to Man-of-the-Match Mohinder Amarnath’s gentle pace to signal a 43-run win and set off wild celebrations on the ground as well as back home.

Fans admired his mannerisms on the field — the double forearm stretch, a hunched stance, intense concentration, that flat cap and a baggy white coat — and they lapped up his every antic. Charismatic he was, indeed, and impressive, as evident from the statue of him with finger aloft, in his hometown of Barnsley in Yorkshire, for whom he played 93 first class matches averaging 20.71 with his highest being an unbeaten 181. He couldn’t quite pull it off like the other opener from Yorkshire — Geoffrey Boycott — did though, but rose to great heights in his position behind and perpendicular to the stumps.

The kind-hearted Bird is also known to have donated generously to the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund (CHSF), of which he was an ambassador. Bird was held in such high esteem across sport that the Barnsley Football Club paid tribute to him with a minute’s applause before their English Football League Cup match against Brighton on Tuesday. It echoed around the cricketing world. Rest well, Dickie.