Lindsay Kline

Lindsay Kline Biography

Kline was a Chinaman bowler of considerable ability who finished with a Test bowling average of 22.82. His overseas record is even more impressive. The 31 wickets he took away from Australia came at 15.35. He achieved a hat-trick in just his second Test, at Cape Town. He was quite a handful in away matches.

However, whenever the action shifted Down Under he struggled big time. At home his 3 Test wickets came at 100 apiece. The selectors did not really see much point in persisting with the Victorian and his career remained short and lopsided towards the more productive lands of South Africa, India and Pakistan.

Short career and a First-Class batting average of 8.60 notwithstanding, Kline has achieved immortality due to two feats with the bat. The first was the final ball he faced in the Brisbane Test of 1960-61 when his nudge to square-leg was picked up by Joe Solomon and the stumps were thrown down to catch Ian Meckiff short of ground, resulting in Test cricket’s first Tie. The second was in his final Test match, at Adelaide, when he scored 15 unbeaten runs, standing firm against Wes Hall, Alf Valentine, Garry Sobers, Lance Gibbs and Frank Worrell, denying the men from Caribbean their hurrah of victory. The match ended with Ken Mackay and Kline unconquered, Australia escaping with nine wickets down.After the final ball was bowled, Mackay and Kline scrambled through the sea of spectators with broadcaster Michael Charlton shouting “It’s a draw, it’s a draw, it’s a draw.”

However, it did not help that in that same match he bowled 264 balls without a wicket, while Richie Benaud and Lance Gibbs had captured five-fors. He was never picked for Australia again.

After his playing days, Kline set up a company manufacturing and supplying fire equipment and ran it with considerable success. He passed away on October 2, 2015.

Arunabha Sengupta

Lindsay Kline Batting & Fielding Averages

Career

Avg

100s

50s

Test

ODIs

T20s

World Cup

Lindsay Kline Bowling Averages

Career	M	B	R	W	Avg	EC	SR	5WI	10WM	BBI	BBM
Test	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
ODIs	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
T20s	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
World Cup	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--		--