Obituary: Derek Underwood, cricketer

Derek Underwood of England and slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler for Kent County Cricket Club on April 17,1970 at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury, Kent, England. Photo: Getty Images

ICC Hall of Fame cricketer Derek Underwood was England’s most successful spin bowler and among the game’s elite: the retrospective ICC rankings put him as the world’s No 1 bowler for nearly four years between 1969 and 1973. Born in Kent and the son and brother of keen cricketers, Underwood once took all 10 wickets in an innings for his school first XI. He made his first-class debut for Kent as a 17-year-old and his test debut three years later. Nicknamed "Deadly" for the threat his spinners, delivered at close-to-medium pace, posed batsmen, Underwood took 297 test wickets at an average of 25.83. While not a gifted batsman, he was a gritty one, and was often called upon to be night watchman. He was one of six England players to join Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, and he ended his international career by opting to join a rebel tour to South Africa in 1981. Underwood died on April 15, aged 78. — Agencies