London, Feb.15 : A statue of the former cricket umpire Dickie Bird will be unveiled in his home town of Barnsley in October.

Artist Graham Ibbeson has created a miniature scale model of the six-foot high statue and replicas of the work will also stand in Mumbai and Melbourne.

Bird, 74, said that he felt humbled. "Graham has got the stance just right . . . my finger of fate pointing in the air," The Times quoted, as saying.

Bird umpired in 66 Test matches and 69 One Day Internationals, including 3 World Cup Finals. He also played first class cricket for Yorkshire in the 1950s and 1960s. He started his career in umpiring in 1970.

ANI