Derek Underwood: Former England cricketer dies aged 78

Posted by author April 15, 2024 Cricket

Former England and Kent cricketer Derek Underwood has died aged 78.

He remains the country’s most successful spin bowler ever, claiming a career haul of 297 wickets in 86 Test appearances from 1966 to 1982.

Underwood, with his brisk left-arm spin, is also sixth in England’s all-time list of leading wicket-takers.

He played for his home county of Kent for 24 years before retiring in 1987 and had 10 seasons where he took 100 or more wickets.

He spent his whole county career there and claimed 2,523 scalps across three decades, winning three County Championships, two One-Day Cups, three National Leagues and three Benson & Hedges Cups.

“The Kent Cricket family is in mourning following the passing of one of its greatest-ever players,” the county’s chair Simon Philip said.

“Derek was an outstanding contributor to both Kent and England, winning trophies for club and country and etching his name in the history books forevermore.”

‘He will be sorely missed’

The chair also said his induction into the ICC Hall of Fame “shows the esteem in which he was held in world cricket”, adding: “He will be sorely missed by everyone at Kent Cricket.”

Underwood first played for his country at Test level as a 21-year-old against the West Indies at Trent Bridge in July 1966 and made his final international appearance against Sri Lanka in Colombo in February 1982.

During his Test career, he claimed 17 five-wicket hauls and six 10-wicket hauls.

He was also capped 26 times in one-day internationals, taking 32 wickets.

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Among his Test highlights, Underwood played a starring Ashes role in a classic finish against Australia at the Oval in 1968.

Amid rainy conditions in London, members of the crowd helped with the mopping up work to allow the home side little more than half an hour to take the six wickets they needed for victory.

All eyes were on Underwood, who took four wickets for six runs in 27 balls, wrapping things up with barely five minutes to spare and finishing with seven for 50. England won the match by 226 runs.

His record career tally of 297 wickets would have been even higher had it not been for his decision to play in Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket and the first rebel tour of South Africa.

But he is still 42 wickets ahead of his nearest rival among spinners, Graeme Swann.

Following his retirement from playing, Underwood was named MCC president in 2008, after serving as Kent’s president in 2006, and was inducted into the ICC’s Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.

In 2011, the Annexe Stand at Kent’s home ground in Canterbury was renamed the Underwood and Knott Stand in recognition of his and former club and country team-mate Alan Knott’s contributions to the county.