Legendary English Spinner Derek Underwood Passes Away at 78

Derek Underwood, who gave the famous Sunil Gavaskar a rough time, was England's finest spinner in the post-World War II era. He passed away at Kent on Monday. He was eighty-eight.

Underwood was a master of slow left-arm orthodox spin, and his pinpoint precision won him great respect from his peers. Known by many as "Deadly," he dominated 60s and 70s uncovered pitches.

The Bromley player had the most wickets of any England spinner with 297 from 86 Test matches, numbers that matched his reputation. Over the course of his 24-year first-class career, he claimed 2,465 wickets.

However, the data only tells a portion of the tale. When England defeated India 3-1 in a five-match series in 1977 thanks to 29 wickets taken, it was one of Underwood's best performances on the field.

It was the Three Lions' first series triumph in India since they prevailed on the illustrious Douglas Jardine trip in 1933–34. That triumph was masterminded by another cunning left-arm spinner, Hedley Verity, who claimed 24 wickets in three Test matches.

After forty years, Underwood continued the Verity heritage with pacer John Lever, who took twenty-four wickets to help his spin companion out splendidly.

Underwood gave a fantastic performance against a group of Indian batsmen, including the legendary Gavaskar, who he had dismissed more than any other bowler in Test cricket with a record 12 wickets. In the longest format, West Indian fast-bowling star Michael Holding and former Pakistan captain Imran Khan had each dismissed Gavaskar eleven times.

Gavaskar acknowledged Underwood's hold over him as well.

"Taking on Underwood under any circumstance was difficult. He bowled on the stumps and was incredibly precise. He could bowl quickly at will, so to play the shots, you had to be in position extremely early. Along with Andy Roberts, he was the hardest bowler I faced, Gavaskar had said recently.

Underwood had 62 wickets in 20 Test matches against India overall.

Underwood was a tough lower-order batsman who risked his life to take on some of the most formidable pacers of his era, despite being a bowler by trade.

Long after he finished playing, Underwood—who was also a lucrative retailer of roll-in pitches—tried his hand at management, taking on the role of MCC president for a year in 2008.

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