Ray Lindwall

Raymond Russell Lindwall MBE (3 October 1921 – 23 June 1996) was an Australian cricketer who represented Australia in 61 Tests from 1946 to 1960. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers. He also played top-flight rugby league football with St. George, appearing in two grand finals for the club.

One of five children of Irish-Swedish descent, Lindwall had a difficult childhood during the Great Depression, with both parents dying before he finished high school. During his teenage years, Lindwall rose through the ranks of Sydney Grade Cricket at St. George under the tutelage of Test leg spinner Bill O'Reilly. Lindwall made his first-class debut for New South Wales in 1941–42. At the same time, Lindwall was playing for St. George in the first-grade of the New South Wales Rugby Football League premiership as a full back.

With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, interstate cricket was cancelled and in 1943, Lindwall joined the army and served in New Guinea until 1945. Lindwall returned to Australia still suffering from the after-effects of tropical disease, but he quickly made an impact upon the resumption of first-class cricket. He did well enough to gain selection for a tour of New Zealand, where he made his Test debut in March 1946 in a match that was retrospectively accredited. Lindwall returned to Australia and spent the winter playing football for St. George, helping his team to the grand final of the 1946 NSWRFL season, after which he retired to concentrate solely on cricket.

A right-arm fast bowler, Lindwall was widely regarded as the greatest pace bowler of his era and one of the finest of all time. He modelled his action on the England fast bowler Harold Larwood. Together with Keith Miller, Lindwall formed a new-ball pairing regarded as one of the greatest to have played cricket. Lindwall was known for his classical style, with a smooth and rhythmic run-up and textbook side-on bowling action, from which he generated his trademark outswinger. Lindwall mixed his outswinger with a searing yorker, subtle changes of pace and an intimidating bouncer that skidded at the heads of opposing batsmen. Later in his career, Lindwall developed an inswinger, which together with his variety, pace and control made him the most feared paceman of his time. Lindwall was a fine all round cricketer; he was a hard-hitting batsman who scored two centuries at Test level. His best-known performance was his role in leading the Australian bowling during the 1948 tour of England under Don Bradman; the team gained the sobriquet The Invincibles and is regarded as one of the finest teams in cricketing history. Lindwall was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 1996 as one of the ten inaugural members. In 2000, Lindwall was named in the Australian Cricket Board's Team of the Century. In 2009, Lindwall was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.