Lindsay Hassett - Style and Personality

Style and Personality

The diminutive Hassett was an elegant middle-order batsman, known for his wide range of strokes, timing, quick footwork and strong wrists. However, as his career progressed and his seniority in the Australian team increased, he became a more cautious player who often frustrated spectators with his sedate scoring, particularly after World War II. Despite this, Hassett remained an aggressive and adventurous strokemaker in matches for Victoria. He had a poker face, and this benefited him as a captain, as even his teammates sometimes found it hard to discern his mood or thinking. During his 24 Test matches in charge, he won 14 games and suffered defeat only four times, but it was the last of the four losses that blighted his record. Hassett was a very occasional right-arm medium pace bowler, averaging one over per first-class match. He took 18 wickets in 216 matches, and never took more than two in a single innings. He never took a wicket at Test level and bowled less than 19 overs.

Hassett’s most distinctive trait was his fun-loving personality. He was famed for his practical jokes, sense of humour—particularly his self-deprecating quips—and wit, such as in his calming talk to the rioters in Calcutta in 1945. He remained jovial during his speeches even after Australia suffered defeats. After bowing out of Test cricket in 1953 with a loss, he said that England "earned the victory from the very first ball—to the second last over anyway", referring to an over that he bowled when defeat became inevitable.

During the 1938 tour of England, Hassett smuggled a goat into the bedroom he shared with Stan McCabe and O'Reilly while the team was staying at Grindleford, after they had fallen asleep. They awoke to unexpected smells and bleating. During the 1948 tour of England, he was reported to have unnerved his teammates and tempted fate by bringing a toy duck into the dressing room, and held up play during a county match by hiding the ball in a pile of sawdust. During the same summer, Hassett and a few teammates were being chauffeured back to London after a function. It was after midnight, but Hassett asked the driver to stop at a random mansion along the road. He then rang the bell and told the startled householder that he "Just thought we'd pop in". The owner happened to recognise Hassett and received the cricketers. In the Third Test of the same tour, after dropping two hooked catches from Washbrook, Hassett responded by borrowing a policeman’s helmet, before motioning to Ray Lindwall to bowl another bouncer. During the 1953 tour of England, a waiter spilled a dessert on Hassett's jacket. Initially declining the waiter's multiple offers to have his jacket taken away for cleaning, Hassett acquiesced and while taking off his jacket, noticed a spot on his trousers. He then silently pointed to the spot, removed his trousers and handed them to the waiter, before conitinuing to eat his meal in his underpants.

Aside from the humorous side of his personality, Hassett was also known for his diplomatic skills as a leader and his affability, particularly his ability to endear himself to hosts and public while representing Australia overseas. Richie Benaud wrote of Hassett: "There are others who have made more runs and taken more wickets, but very few have ever got more out of a lifetime." Teammate Keith Miller said that Hassett had "more genuine friends in all walks of life than any other cricketer".