Derek Underwood facts for kids
Underwood in 2008
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| Full name |
Derek Leslie Underwood
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| Born | 8 June 1945 Bromley, Kent, England |
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| Died | 15 April 2024 (aged 78) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Deadly | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Slow left arm orthodox Left arm medium |
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| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 433) | 30 June 1966 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 17 February 1982 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 20) | 18 July 1973 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 14 February 1982 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1963–1987 | Kent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: CricInfo, 25 March 2008
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Derek Leslie Underwood MBE (born June 8, 1945 – died April 15, 2024) was a famous English cricketer. He was known as one of the best bowlers in Test cricket. He even became the President of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).
Underwood was a bowler who spun the ball with his left arm. He was often called 'Deadly' because he was so good, especially on wet cricket pitches. People used to say that England would "carry Underwood like an umbrella, in case of rain." This meant he was super useful when the weather made the pitch tricky.
He was known for bowling the ball to the exact same spot every time. This made it very hard for batsmen to hit. He once said that bowling was a "low mentality profession: plug away, line and length, until there's a mistake." He believed that eventually, every batsman would make a mistake.
Derek Underwood took 297 wickets in his Test career. He was also added to the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009. This is a special club for cricket legends!
Contents
Becoming a Cricket Star
Derek Underwood was born in Bromley, England. He grew up watching his dad and older brother, Keith, play cricket. When he was in school, he once took all ten wickets in a game! This means he got every single player on the other team out.
Playing for Kent
Underwood started playing for Kent when he was just 17 years old in 1963. In his first season, he took 100 wickets in the County Championship. This was a record for a young player! He managed to take 100 wickets in a season nine more times after that. He stayed with Kent for 24 years, playing his whole career there.
Even though he was a bowler, he once scored 111 runs in a match for Kent when he was 39. This was his only century (scoring 100 runs or more) in his long career.
Amazing Test Matches
Underwood played many important matches for England. In 1968, he helped England draw a series against Australia. He took four quick wickets in the last few minutes of a match after a big rainstorm. This was a very exciting finish!
He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1969. This is a big honor in cricket. He also helped England win back the Ashes (a famous cricket trophy) in Australia in 1971.
From 1969 to 1973, Derek Underwood was ranked the number one bowler in the world! He is still England's top wicket-taker among spin bowlers.
Playing in Different Leagues
In the late 1970s, Derek Underwood was one of six English cricketers who played in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. This was a new and different cricket league at the time.
Later, he also joined a special tour to South Africa in 1981–82. At that time, there was a ban on international sports with South Africa. Because he went on this tour, he and the other players were not allowed to play for England for three years. This ended his career playing for England.
Later Years and Retirement
Derek Underwood was especially good at bowling on wet pitches. But even on dry pitches, he was very accurate. He retired from cricket in 1987 when he was 42 years old. He had taken an amazing 2,465 wickets in his career!
Awards and Honors
Underwood received an award called the MBE in 1981 for his great contributions to cricket.
In 2008, he became the President of the MCC, a very important cricket club. In 2004, a famous cricket magazine called Wisden chose him as one of England's best players after World War II. He also received an honorary degree from Canterbury Christ Church University in 2009.
Personal Life
Derek Underwood married Dawn in 1973, and they had two daughters. After retiring from cricket, he worked as a consultant for a cricket company.
Sadly, Derek Underwood passed away on April 15, 2024, at the age of 78. He had been living with dementia. The head of the England and Wales Cricket Board said that Derek Underwood would always be remembered as one of England's greatest spin bowlers.
