Hold the back page �.. Dickie Bird is making his umpiring comeback. Bird is turning out for a celebrity match organised by the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) at his home ground of Headingley. Let�..s hope Sir Geoffrey doesn�..t turn up or else there could be a real war of the white roses for the affections of Shilpa Shetty, who�..s inevitably making an appearance.

And let�..s hope also neither of them, nor star guest Amitabh Buchan, do a Richard Gere �.. hmm, pleasant thought... The signs aren�..t good, though. The press release expects the match to be �..action-packed and laced with its fair share of gags and sporting misdemeanours.�.� So there.

The IIFA celebrity team are captained by pin-up boy Saif Ali Khan, and includes Kapil Dev, Mohammed Azharuddin, Zayed Khan, Suneil Shetty, and Abhishek Bachchan. They will play a UK celebrity cricket team, again with a mix of as-yet-undisclosed players and celebrities.

Tickets are more expensive than for any county game, though �.. at £22 for adults and £12 for children �.. but it�..s all for a good cause. The match takes place on Friday 8 June.