Master of spin dies aged 78

DEADLY WAS RAINING CHAMP FOR ENGLAND

- MIKE WALTERS

DEREK UNDERWOOD 1945-2024

AFTER the cloudburst had left most of The Oval underwater, the mopping-up operation was a miracle of communal purpose.

Hundreds of spectators, armed with blankets and even their own clothes, answered England captain Colin Cowdrey’s appeal over the crackling public address tannoy to help transform the outfield from an Amazonian swamp to a pasture passable with care.

When play resumed at 4.45pm, an incredible feat in itself, England had 75 minutes to take the last five Australian wickets and level the Ashes series 1-1.

There was only one man for the job – ‘Deadly’ Derek Underwood, and he rose to the challenge memorably.

With more sawdust on the pitch than a joiner’s mill, and more close catchers picketing the bat than flies circling a cowpat, Underwood was simply unplayable.