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There may never have been an unluckier bowler than Mike Hendrick, the former England, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire seamer who has died at the age of 72 after battling bowel and liver cancer.
Not only did his Test career coincide with Bob Willis and Ian Botham, often relegating him to first change, but he developed a reputation for beating the bat without reward.
In 30 Tests, he never took a five-for, yet still averaged 25 – the same as Willis, better than Botham.
Mike Hendrick, who has died at the age of 72, with arms aloft after dismissing India's Dilip Vengsarkar at Lord's during their tour of England in 1979
Tall, slightly hunched and usually undemonstrative, Hendrick was regarded by Mike Brearley, one of his England captains, as 'steadier and more consistent' than his team-mates, 'an admirable foil to their adventurous flair'.
As if to prove the point, his ODI economy-rate of 3.27 remains the best of any England bowler, as does his average of 19.
And he was the leading wicket-taker at the 1979 World Cup, when he was famously launched
