The great umpire has left the world today
Seventies, Eighties and Early Nineties! The greatest umpiring pairs were David Shephard and Dickie Bird. In every final of every important tournament, we used to see David Shephard and Dickie Bird as the umpires. These two umpires instill confidence on both sides. Even if they make (rare) mistakes, no team used to protest; such was their personality.David Shephard left the world in 2009. Today, we have lost the other umpiring great.
The great Harold 'Dickie' Bird has passed away at an age of 92. A real character on and off the field, he was a top-notch umpire from the pre-DRS era who didn't have the modern technology as an aid.
Dickie Bird (along with David Shephard) was respected because he respected the spirit of cricket above everything else. That 'spirit' barely exists nowadays.
RIP Dickie Bird! It would be very difficult to forget your immense contribution to world cricket.
