A Real, Rare Bird!

Having witnessed the evolution of umpiring, Dickie Bird believes that with technology taking the front seat, on-field umpires will soon lose their relevance.

- Shayan Acharya

The legendary English umpire,HaroldDen-nis Bird, better knownasDickie, officiatedin 66 Tests and 69ODIs between 1973 and 1996. Eighty six years old now, Dickie still visits Headingley in Leeds to watch cricket.

“I am following all the matches of the World Cup,” he tells Sportstar. As Sri Lanka posted a thrilling win against host England in Leeds, Bird watched the proceedings from the stands. Having witnessed the evolution of umpiring, Bird believes that with technology taking the front seat, on-field umpires will soon lose their relevance.

“In my time, the umpires were very much part of the sport. They made the game more interesting. That is all gone now,” he says.

What are your thoughts on the standard of umpiring these days?

It’s difficult to comment on today’s umpiring standards because all the decisions are done by technology. The umpires today can always refer to technology and it gets themout of any problem, and they just (convey) that.

With technology coming into all sport — be it football or rugby — things are getting vague. It takes all the authority away from the umpires. Let’s not forget, the umpires have been a part of the game.

How different was umpiring in your time?

In my day, if an umpire made a mistake, he was dropped from the club matches or the English league. Umpires were very much part of the sport, they made the game more interesting. That is all gone now.