Famous Cricketer Derek Underwood Dead at 78

(TotalConservative.com) – Derek Underwood, a legendary cricket player in England with a long and illustrious career in the bat-and-ball game, has died at the age of 78.

The Kent County Cricket Club announced Underwood’s death on Monday, April 15, alongside a tribute to the cricketer on the club website describing him as an “icon of the club.” He’s taken 2,465 wickets total across 676 matches throughout his career, including 86 Tests for England during which he took 297. He retired at the age of 42 in 1987, yet remained a legendary figure in the sport throughout his life.

The chairman of Kent Cricket, Simon Philip, paid tribute to Underwood and said the club is “mourning” the spinner as “an outstanding contributor” to Kent County and England and one of the “greatest ever players.” He noted that Underwood won many trophies for the club and his country, and etched “his name in the history books forevermore.” Philip added that it “was a privilege for all” who witnessed Underwood’s “unique magic on a wet wicket.”

Philip also noted Underwood’s induction into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame, which he said demonstrates how much the international cricket community held Underwood in high esteem. The Kent Cricket chairman praised Underwood for growing the game of cricket “worldwide” while also protecting the sport’s “rich heritage.”

Wisden Cricket, an almanac founded in 1864 and often called the “Bible of Cricket,” also commemorated Underwood’s life and career in an article on their website and a statement on social media. Underwood, whose nickname was “Deadly,” became notable for his performance on wet pitches.

In 2006, Underwood served as president of Kent Cricket, and then of Marylebone Cricket Club in 2008. In 2009, the ICC inducted him into the Cricket Hall of Fame.

In 2011, a stand at The Spitfire Ground, St. Lawrence, originally called the “Annexe Stand” was declared the “Underwood & Knott Stand” in honor of the cricketer alongside another famous player and Kent Cricket member, Alan Knott.