Pertinent comments about the uniqueness of both Underwood and Thomson’s actions, particularly in Thommo’s case. I still think he is the quickest bowler I’ve seen in 50+ years of watching cricket yet no-one has ever come close to replicating his slingy action. Why is that? As young blokes we all tried to copy Lillee’s action, never Thommo.
Didn’t know Underwood took 7 for at Adelaide. I couldn’t think of a more unlikely pitch to suit his style of bowling. A true champion.
I was a member of the Shanghai Cricket Club and had the pleasure of showing Deadly around Shanghai when he came up to play in our Shanghai 6’s competition as one of the cricket celebrity recruits in early 2000’s. A nicer bloke you could not find (even for a Pom 😉)
Unlikely as it sounds, there was rain before the match at Adelaide in 1975. Even so, Redpath and McCosker had no trouble with the quicks, but for a while Underwood was next to unplayable by an orthodox game. He knocked over the openers, then the Chappells and Marsh for next to nothing and England took 5 for 30-odd. Dougie played him by backing away to leg, letting the ball bounce and belting it off the back foot through the off side. When the pitch settled down Jenner slogged 70, the bowlers chipped in and we ended up with 300, which was plenty. Knott made a great hundred at the end, but it was never enough.
On another matter, if Bishop Bedi played for India and nobody noticed, did he really play? Or was it someone else?
And of course, we schoolkids called our underpants our Underwoods, or more simply (if opaquely to the uncricketed) our Dereks.
Hats off.
Imagine if he had DRS? His LBW dismissals would have been a lot higher - lethal!
Pertinent comments about the uniqueness of both Underwood and Thomson’s actions, particularly in Thommo’s case. I still think he is the quickest bowler I’ve seen in 50+ years of watching cricket yet no-one has ever come close to replicating his slingy action. Why is that? As young blokes we all tried to copy Lillee’s action, never Thommo.
Didn’t know Underwood took 7 for at Adelaide. I couldn’t think of a more unlikely pitch to suit his style of bowling. A true champion.
I was a member of the Shanghai Cricket Club and had the pleasure of showing Deadly around Shanghai when he came up to play in our Shanghai 6’s competition as one of the cricket celebrity recruits in early 2000’s. A nicer bloke you could not find (even for a Pom 😉)
Unlikely as it sounds, there was rain before the match at Adelaide in 1975. Even so, Redpath and McCosker had no trouble with the quicks, but for a while Underwood was next to unplayable by an orthodox game. He knocked over the openers, then the Chappells and Marsh for next to nothing and England took 5 for 30-odd. Dougie played him by backing away to leg, letting the ball bounce and belting it off the back foot through the off side. When the pitch settled down Jenner slogged 70, the bowlers chipped in and we ended up with 300, which was plenty. Knott made a great hundred at the end, but it was never enough.
On another matter, if Bishop Bedi played for India and nobody noticed, did he really play? Or was it someone else?