Derek Underwood, Legendary England spinner, dies at 78

Derek Underwood, the esteemed England spinner and member of the ICC Hall of Fame, has passed away at the age of 78.

During his illustrious international career spanning over 15 years, Underwood represented England in 86 Tests and 26 One-Day Internationals, capturing 297 Test wickets—a record for an English spinner and the sixth-highest total among all England bowlers.

Underwood’s cricket journey began at Kent, where he debuted at just 17 years old in 1963 and where he played throughout his domestic career. Over his career, he played in 676 first-class matches and took an impressive 2,465 wickets, adding 572 wickets in 411 List-A matches with his signature left-arm spin, before retiring in 1987.

Richard Thompson, ECB chair, reflected on Underwood’s legacy, “It is always a sad day when a great of the English game passes away,” as per a statement quoted by the ICC. Underwood was the world’s No. 1 ranked bowler in the retrospective ICC Men’s Test Player rankings from September 1969 to August 1973. He also held prestigious positions as President of the Kent Cricket Club in 2006, and the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in 2008, and was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009.