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English
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England
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ENG
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Derek Underwood
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Cricket_no_picpng
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Right-hand bat
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Slow-medium left-arm orthodox
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true
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86
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937
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1156
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-/-
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45
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21862
|
|   |
297
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2583
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17
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6
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8/51
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44/-
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26
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53
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588
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-/-
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17
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1278
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32
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2293
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-
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-
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4/44
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6/-
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1 January
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2006
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is an
English Cricket er born on
June 8 1945 . He was one of the foremost
Spin Bowlers in the world for over a decade starting from the late 1960s. Not a classical spinner, Underwood was closer to medium pace (officially slow-medium) and was often unplayable on the seaming English wickets, particularly "
Sticky Wickets " on rain-affected uncovered pitches, earning his nickname "Deadly". His inswining "
Arm Ball " was particularly noted for dismissing batsmen
Leg Before Wicket .
Underwood finished his career just 3 wickets short of 300 in Test cricket, at the excellent average of 25.83. He famously took the last 4
Australian wickets in 27 balls in the final half an hour at the end of the 5th Test in 1968, after a heavy thunderstorm on the fifth day had all but ended the match, to square an
Ashes series that Australia were winning 1-0
He played county cricket for
Kent . He made his debut for Kent aged 17 in 1963, and was the youngest player to take 100 first-class wickets in his first season of counnty cricket. He repeated this accomplishment a further 9 times. His batting was less accomplished, with a first-class average barely over 10 runs in 676 matches. He scored his first and only first-class century (111) at the age of 39, in his 591st first-class match.
He was one of five England cricketers (the others being
Alan Knott ,
Dennis Amiss ,
Bob Woolmer and
Tony Greig ), to feature in
Kerry Packer 's
World Series Cricket in the late 1970s, and
Toured South Africa in 1981-82.
He was awarded the MBE in 1981.
In 1997, he became
Patron of the
Primary Club .