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Lindsay Hassett
Wisden CricInfo staff - June 20, 2001
Wisden obituary An artful strokemaker before the Second World War, afterwards Lindsay Hassett was a more circumspect batsman, though one who never lost his lightness of touch. A tiny man who cast a shadow little longer than his bat, he played spin with quick feet, and speed with easy confidence; only five men with more than 10,000 first-class runs boast a better average. He captained the Australian Services XI during the 1945 Victory Tests, and became Bradman's deputy and eventual successor, leading his country to 14 victories and only four defeats. This, however, falls short of a full estimation: his generosity and deadpan humour won hordes of admirers abroad, especially in England. "Australia has sent to these shores no captain of cricket who shared Hassett's secret into our English ways," wrote Neville Cardus, "knowing it without any surrender of Australia's own related yet not entirely similar ways." He later became a thoughtful radio commentator. Gideon Haigh
© Wisden CricInfo Ltd
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