Derek Underwood like an artist’s bowler should be in danger of extinction when a mundane all-rounder is not good enough at either batting or bowling. ‘It’s very easy for a chap to get thirty with the bat, but is he then in the right frame of mind to do a stint of slow bowling? You can fall between two stools; if an all-rounder has held the tail together and batted well, what frame of mind is he in when he has to bowl? If he’s as tense with the ball in his hand as he was when he batted, well, that’s fine, because I think you should be tense at the start of a bowling stint.
How many times does that happen, though? I believe cricket should be doing more for the specialists.’ An uncomplicated bowler, Derek Underwood; therein lies his true greatness, according to Fred Titmus: ‘He’s a natural sort of bowler; he just runs up and bowls, puts in a slower one now and again, but that’s all. He relies on line and length, with the odd bit of controlled variation thrown in, and that’s usually enough.’ Mike Smith feels the greatest compliment to him is that he has always been reliable. ‘I don’t think I could ever say that he bowled badly. He may not have bowled as well as he might have done by his high standards, but, incredibly, he never lost it. He’s always been there or thereabouts.
A tremendous bowler under any conditions.’ To Tom Graveney, the fascination of Underwood is that he was so good so soon: ‘As soon as he came onto the scene, he was a very good bowler. It seemed he didn’t have to learn his trade; he was at us right away at the age of eighteen.’ John Hampshire speaks for thousands of frustrated batsmen around the world when he pays this tribute to Underwood: ‘It’s always “grit your teeth” time when you face him.
You have very little chance of getting after him; all you can do is try to work him away for singles. Even on good wickets, I’ve never seen him slog around the park. For the last fifteen years, he’s been the first name in the England team for me. A great craftsman.’ One wonders if the modest Underwood realizes just how good he is.
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