Derek Underwood – a man who defied convention

by Rex Clementine

Derek Underwood, the man who mesmerized Sri Lankans with an eight-wicket haul in our inaugural Test match at P. Sara Oval 42 years ago, is no more. He passed away at the age of 78 on Monday.

Arjuna Ranatunga thrilled us all becoming the first Sri Lankan to post a half-century in Test match cricket. He was dismissed by Underwood. The manner in which the old fox, 37 at that time, set up the 18-year-old was a treat to watch indeed. Arjuna was cleaned up shouldering arms to the veteran, whose nickname was ‘deadly’.

Underwood took a five for in the first innings and finished with three wickets in the second essay. When he left Colombo, he was on 297 wickets. There was little doubt in us that he was going to get to the 300-wicket mark during the English summer just a few weeks away. He in fact needed only 11 more wickets to break Fred Trueman’s record for most wickets by an Englishman in Test cricket. But fate would have other ideas.

Dr. Ali Bacher, the South African supremo was masterminding a rebel cricket tour by an England team. He had roped in Graham Gooch, Geoff Boycott, John Lever, Bob Woolmer, Johny Emburey and many others. Underwood joined too. All were handed three-year international bans and that effectively ended many players’ careers.

West Indies were unforgiving for those players who toured apartheid South Africa. Sri Lanka too were somewhat rigid. England were far more lenient. Underwood played First Class cricket after the rebel tour.

Underwood’s fascination with Kent is legendary. He spent all his 24 years as a professional cricketer at Canterbury and that involved more than 900 games. He took 100 wickets for the season on ten occasions and the first time it happened was when he was just 17. After retirement, he went on to become the President of Kent County Cricket Club and later Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC).

Underwood was unlike any of the other spinners that we have seen. Spinners usually are slow and flight the ball trying to beat the batters in the air. Underwood was more of a cutter fashion bowler. He had a long run up looking similar to a medium-pacer and he fired it in.

Most good spinners prosper when there is a solid wicketkeeper. Qadir had Bari, Warne had Healy, Murali had Sanga and so did Underwood. His partnership with Alan Knott went beyond England as they both played for Kent as well.

Kent renamed The Annexe Stand at their ground as the Underwood – Knott Stand to recognize the pair’s service to the county. The press box at Kent ground is in the Underwood – Knott Stand.

Underwood was a proper tail-ender as evident by his record – no half-centuries in Test match cricket. But that didn’t prevent him from coming in as nightwatchman during many games. This was at a time when the West Indies had Marshall and Holding while the Aussies had Lillee and Thomson. In sports, they say, it’s all about the guts you show.

One is reminded of the famous story of a Sri Lankan left-arm spinner. When Duleep Mendis wanted to spare his premier batsman Aravinda de Silva and ordered the spinner to get ready to go in as night watchman, the spinner apparently was hiding in the toilet.

Underwood will be remembered. Not just for scripting many famous wins for Kent and England, but for having the courage to be different, to move away from conventional spin and to stick to his strength. That made him the most successful spinner that England have ever produced.