Former England cricketer Derek Underwood has died aged 78.

He remains the country’s most prolific spin bowler ever, claiming a career haul of 297 wickets in 86 Test appearances from 1966 to 1982.

Underwood, with his brisk left-arm spin, is also sixth in England’s all-time list of leading wicket takers.

His record tally would have been even higher had it not been for his decision to play in Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket and the first rebel tour of South Africa.

But he is still 42 wickets ahead of his nearest rival among spinners, Graeme Swann.

Underwood spent his whole county career with Kent and took 2,523 wickets across three decades.

“The Kent Cricket family is in mourning following the passing of one of its greatest-ever players,” the county’s chair Simon Philip said.

“Derek was an outstanding contributor to both Kent and England, winning trophies for club and country and etching his name in the history books forevermore.”

He also said his induction into the ICC Hall of Fame “shows the esteem in which he was held in world cricket”, adding: “He will be sorely missed by everyone at Kent Cricket.”

During his Test career, he claimed 17 five-wicket hauls and six 10-wicket hauls.

Among his highlights, Underwood played a starring role in a classic Ashes finish at the Oval in 1968.

With rain threatening to preserve Australia’s 2-1 series lead, members of the crowd helped with the mopping up work to allow Colin Cowdrey’s side little more than half an hour to take the six wickets they needed for victory.

All eyes were on Underwood, who took four wickets for six runs in 27 balls, wrapping things up with barely five minutes to spare and finishing with seven for 50.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Related posts:

All over-18s in England able to book jab from Friday – as Whitty warns of ‘surprises’ ahead ‘It’s plaguing the world’: Nelson Mandela’s daughter on the need to fight a ‘resurge of racism’ Cavendish wins Tour de France green jersey – but narrowly misses out on record 35 stage wins Man dies after suspected gas explosion causes house to collapse in Lancashire Premier League chair Hoffman to quit amid fury over Newcastle deal Ukrainian refugees will be able to join immediate family members in UK, says PM Man dies after falling from 50ft bonfire in Northern Ireland ‘Arms race of fantasy economics’ – Keir Starmer set to take aim at Tory leader hopefuls Woman in life-threatening condition after being hit by car while pushing pram New study casts doubt on origins of Stonehenge’s largest ‘bluestone’ Long delays at Dover as Britons prepare to travel for Christmas break Man guilty of spying in London to help terror plotters jailed