'Unique character, superb umpire': Sunil Gavaskar and 1983 World Cup heroes pay tribute to Dickie Bird

MUMBAI: As Dickie Bird’s finger shot up to adjudge Michael Holding legbefore, Mohinder Amarnath ran to gather the stump. Bird, still pretty much in his prime as an international umpire, became a part of the most enduring frame of Indian cricket, the 1983 World Cup win.For Indian cricket fans, Bird was a familiar face in the 1980s and 90s, be it cricket in England or Sharjah. The quick movement of his hands to indicate a boundary, the witty smile, the odd chat with players and the partnership with another legend, David Shepherd... the memories kept tumbling in as news of Bird having passed away at his Yorkshire home at the age of 92 became public.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“That’s sad news. Having played the game at the first-class level, Dickie knew the tensions and pressures the players undergo and so was sympathetic to their frustrations if his decisions didn’t go their way. The players loved him because he was always ready to chat between overs and sometimes between deliveries too. Cricket has lost a unique character and a superb umpire,” legend Sunil Gavaskar told TOI. “May his soul rest in peace,” he added.

Gavaskar also fondly recalled Bird giving him a haircut in the middle of his 101 at Old Trafford on a blustery Manchester Day. Gavaskar asked Bird if he had scissors to trim his hair and Bird obliged, using the scissors meant for cutting ball threads. Gavaskar rates that 101 as his best Test innings.Another 1983 World Cup winner, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who copped a serious blow to his helmet off the bowling of the late Malcolm Marshall in the final at Lord’s, recalled how Bird reprimanded the West Indian great and hailed Bird for getting decisions right in the pre-TV umpire era.“He was one of the most respected and fair umpires. Umpiring in the prethird umpire era wasn’t easy but Dickie earned the respect of cricketers around the world,” Sandhu said.Former India captain

Dilip Vengsarkar

said, “He was one of the rare umpires, highly respected by players. He knew how to control the game. He was popular with the crowd as well.”