Ray Lindwall With The Australian Cricket Team in England in 1948 - Role

Role

When fit, Lindwall opened the bowling with Miller in the Tests, and the pair operated in short and fiery bursts with the new ball. English cricket administrators had agreed to make a new ball available every 55 overs in the Tests; at the time, the norm was to allow a new ball for every 200 runs scored, something which usually took longer than 55 overs. The new regulation played directly into the hands of the Australians, as a new ball is ideal for fast bowling and the tourists had a vastly superior pace attack. Bradman thus wanted to preserve his two first-choice pacemen for a vigorous attack on the English batsmen every 55 overs. As a result, Lindwall bowled 224 overs, while Australia's third fast bowler Bill Johnston bowled 306. Lindwall led the Test bowling averages, with 27 wickets at 19.62, making him the equal leading wicket-taker along with Johnston, who averaged 23.33. The duo’s haul of 27 Test wickets equalled the record for an Australian fast bowler during a tour of England. The Australian pair were substantially ahead the next most successful bowler, England's Alec Bedser, who took 18 wickets at 38.22. Lindwall's role as the leading strike bowler is borne out in his economy and strike rate in both the Tests and all first-class matches. He was the least economical of the three pacemen, but took his wickets more frequently than any other frontline bowler.

In all first-class matches, he took 86 wickets at 15.68 and held onto 14 catches, fielding in the slips. There were many consecutive matches during the tour with no rest day in between, so Bradman ensured Miller and Lindwall remained fresh for the new ball bursts in the Tests by giving them a lighter workload during the tour matches. During all first-class matches, Johnston bowled 851.1 overs, Johnson 668, Lindwall 573.4, Toshack 502, while Miller bowled only 429.4 overs. Outside the Tests, Lindwall bowled 349.3 overs, only the fifth heaviest workload among the Australians in those matches.

The local batsmen were unable to cope with Lindwalls high pace and swing; 43 of his wickets came after his opponent had missed the ball and been bowled. Lindwall scored 411 runs at 24.17 with two fifties in the first-class matches, including 191 at 31.83 in the Tests. Lindwall had limited batting opportunities, usually playing from No. 7 to No. 9. It was hard for Lindwall to get any higher up the order as Australia's other frontline bowlers, such as Colin McCool, Ian Johnson and Doug Ring, all scored centuries and more than 20 fifties each during their first-class career, and were of similar batting ability. As Australia often won by an innings, and declared in the first innings on many occasions due to their batting strength, Lindwall only had 20 innings in his 22 matches, and usually batted at Nos. 7, 8 and 9.N- However, he was often effective when he did get an opportunity.

Wisden recognised Lindwall by naming him as one of its five Cricketers of the Year in 1949. The publication cited the paceman’s ability to seize the initiative for Australia in all but one of the Tests by taking early wickets. The fast bowler’s success was attributed to a "superb control of length and direction, his change of pace and general skill, the like of which in a slower bowler could be classed as cunning". The ferocity of Lindwall's bouncer often prompted opponents to retreat onto the back foot before he had even released the ball. Wisden said that "by whatever standard he is judged ... must be placed permanently in the gallery of great fast bowlers".