The MCC flag was flying at half-mast over the pavilion at Lord’s yesterday as cricket mourned the loss of one of its most popular characters.

David Shepherd, the ruddy-cheeked umpire famous around the world as much for his eccentric habits as for his unbiased judgment, died on Tuesday night from cancer at the age of 68.

Shane Warne, the Times columnist and former Australia leg spinner, led the tributes, saying that it was “such a tragedy to lose a great man”.

Warne added: “He was an absolute beauty and the world will miss him. I remember sitting up for four hours drinking with him in the bar after the World Cup final in 1996. He was a gentleman and great company.”

Times Archive, 1975: Rare gifts of an acting captain

"Good old Shep!" Who cares what his average is? Doesn't he cheer us up

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Shepherd, known to most people as “Shep”, was a West Countryman to his core. Born and brought up in Devon, his work took him around the world but he was always happiest when back home in Instow, North Devon, where he would help his brother to run the family post office and was a stalwart of the local cricket club.

He was a good enough cricketer to represent the England Schools Under-19 side and was belatedly scouted by Gloucestershire. He made his first-class debut in 1965 at the age of 24 and went on to play 282 matches, scoring 12 hundreds with a batting average in the mid-20s.

David Graveney, the former England chairman of selectors, made his debut for Gloucestershire in 1972, when Shepherd was a senior player. “He was a father figure to the younger players,” Graveney said.

“He always made us feel welcome. I can’t think of anyone who had a cross word to say about him. He scored runs at crucial times in his [Colin] Milburnesque way and more than once got Gloucestershire off the rack in 1973 when we won the Gillette Cup.”

In 1975 he briefly captained his county, an achievement that Alan Gibson noted in The Times would be met with a chorus of “Good Old Shep” for one of the most popular county pros.

“Shep comes from Devon and looks as if he comes from Devon,” Gibson wrote. “Any film producer making Lorna Doone on location would seize upon him as an extra with free cider.” Gibson added that Shepherd, who was fond of a hearty breakfast and a few post-match pints, “keeps fit in his own way and shape”.

His playing career ended in 1979 and, declining a coaching job with the county, he qualified as a first-class umpire. He made his international debut at the 1983 World Cup and would stand in 92 Tests and 172 one-day internationals before retiring in 2005.

He stood in three successive World Cup finals in 1996, 1999 and 2003, a mark of his renown for fairness and good humour. A sign of how respected he was came in his final year as an international umpire, in 2005, when the ICC offered to put aside their rule about neutral umpires so that Shepherd could stand in one final Ashes series. He turned them down, but was touched by the offer.

Spectators loved his solid build — in the white umpire’s coat it was often remarked that he resembled a butcher — and his superstitious habit of hopping on one leg when the team score or a batsman was on 111 — known as Nelson — or a multiple thereof, which he had practised since his playing days.

Players and colleagues in turn respected him for his fairness and honesty to admit to mistakes on the rare occasions they happened.

Simon Taufel, the Australian umpire, said that Shepherd taught him that “in order to be a good umpire, you needed to be a good person first”.

He added: “I could never fault Shep’s fairness, integrity or desire to umpire well. He took enormous pride in his work and in his performance — if he ever made an error, he took it personally, which showed me that he truly cared about what he was doing.”

Noting Shepherd’s lack of athleticism — while praising his fitness even in hot conditions — Taufel said: “Shep and I had a deal going with each other on tour — I would do an extra lap for him in the gym and he would have an extra scoop of ice cream at the end of a day’s play for me.”

Asked to reflect on his career after retiring, Shepherd said: “It’s been a very long road but basically a very happy one. It’s very important to get the respect of the players. It’s also very important for umpires to respect players — it’s a mutual thing.”