The International Cricket Council has expressed sadness at the passing of ICC Hall of Famer Derek Underwood at the age of 78.
In a statement, ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice praised the exploits of the famous left-arm spinner, remembering him as one of the most accurate bowlers ever.
Allardice said, “It’s sad to hear of the passing of Derek. I would like to extend heartfelt condolences from everyone at the ICC to one of the all-time greats of the game.
“Derek has been one of England’s most successful spin bowlers in Test cricket, and his record in first-class cricket is legendary. He was most dangerous on drying wickets with his fastish spin bowling but showed during his long career that he could vary his pace when required.”
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Underwood grabbed 297 wickets in 86 Tests between 1966 and 1982 and had 32 wickets in 26 ODIs. He played for Kent throughout his career and finished with 2,465 wickets in 676 first-class matches and 572 wickets in 411 List A matches.
All throughout his playing career, Kent and the English national side were the only two teams that Underwood represented in professional cricket. However, his ‘deadly’ bowling skills were planned differently by teams during the era, where technology had barely stepped its feet in the world of sports.
He was the top-ranked bowler in the retrospective ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings from September 1969 to August 1973 and was among the initial 55 inductees into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009. He was also the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 2008.
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