Former England seamer Mike Hendrick dies aged 72

The former Derbyshire and England seamer Mike Hendrick has died at the age of 72 on Tuesday, July 27. The veteran seamer had a splendid long career in county cricket where he featured for the teams Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. He had been battling bowel and liver cancer for some time now.

The former England bowler was renowned for his classical side-on action and was adored for his abilities to judge and make most of the English conditions. His accuracy with the ball was highly regarded by the cricketing circuit. Hendrick played 30 Test matches for England wherein he scalped 87 wickets. He did not register a five-wicket haul in his Test career but his healthy average of 25.83 was better than many of the competitors of his era. He played 22 ODIs for England and took 35 wickets, with 5/31 being his best bowling figures in the One Day cricket.

The Times published an interaction of Hendricks and former England captain Mike Atherton this month, which marks the 40th anniversary of the 1981 Ashes that England won at home. Hendricks wittily asserted about his life that, “I’m in the departure lounge, but the flight has not quite left yet.”

Mike Hendrick’s illustrious career

Hendrick kickstarted his career in the year 1969 at the county team Derbyshire. He made his debut against India at Old Trafford in 1974. His outstanding figures of 8 for 95 in 1977 at the Headingly fashioned England’s victory against Australia as they regained the Ashes Trophy. Hendrick was also one of the most important cogs of England’s wheel in the 1979 World Cup where the team had reached the finals. He exuded his sheer flair in the tournament by being England’s leading wicket-taker of the tournament.

In a playing career that spanned for 12 long years, Mike Hendrick picked up more than 700 wickets for Derbyshire. He also was one of the architects who assisted the side in lifting the 1981 NatWest Trophy. He also played for Nottinghamshire before taking up the mantle of being the manager of the club. He also became the coach of the Ireland team wherein the seamer served for a period of 5 years and was appreciated for his noteworthy contributions.