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 which moved away late at high pace.

Lindwall was a fine all round cricketer; he was a hard-hitting batsman who scored two centuries at Test level and often improved Australia's position with his lower order batting.

Lindwall was inspired in his childhood after watching England's Harold Larwood, the fastest bowler of the era, terrorise the Australian batsmen during the notorious Bodyline series of 1932–33 with short-pitched intimidatory bowling.

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, who was regarded as the finest bowler in the world at the time.

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.

Upon returning to Australia, Lindwall moved north to Queensland due to work commitments and then suffered a season of injury and illness in 1954–55 which saw him perform poorly as England retained the Ashes easily.

Following the repeated defeats to England, the Australian selectors instituted generational change and gambled on a radical youth policy which saw Lindwall dropped for the 1957–58 tour of South Africa.

[8][9] The match was also remembered for Stan McCabe's much-celebrated 187 not out, aggressively resisting the Bodyline tactics as Australia fell to a heavy ten wicket defeat.

Aware that he needed a good education with his family in poverty during the Great Depression, Lindwall lifted himself for his final year of junior high school and won a half-scholarship to Marist Brothers Darlinghurst for 1937 and 1938.

In early October 1938, with his final school year drawing to a close, Lindwall was among a group of young cricketers who received an invitation to practise at the SCG with the state team.

[16] In 1945, he returned from the Solomon Islands, where he was believed to have contracted malaria and Dengue fever, although medical tests did not confirm this, he needed injections and atebrin tablets to aid him in recovering from bouts of minor illness for some time afterwards, and he resumed State cricket in 1945–46,[17] despite the rigours of war having reduced him to just 73 kg, which was thin for his height of 178 cm.

A day after suffering a mild malaria attack, Lindwall gave a spell of four overs which netted him three wickets, bowling at speeds not seen in Australia since Larwood.

[17] Lindwall gained further attention when he turned out for New South Wales against the feted Australian Services team of Lindsay Hassett that had played in the 1945 Victory Tests in England.

Lindwall's hostile bowling delivered three wickets in each innings, finishing with match figures of 6/95, leading Hassett to rate him as the best fast-bowling prospect in a decade.

[23] Lindwall returned to Australia and resumed his rugby league career with St. George in the 1946 NSWRFL season after a two-year absence, starting in reserve grade.

The narrow losses in the 1942 and 1946 grand finals prevented him from emulating Herbie Collins' unique feat of following a New South Wales Rugby League premiership victory with captaining the Australian cricket team.

He finished England's innings by clean bowling three batsmen in four deliveries,[31] with the unsuccessful ball barely missing Doug Wright's stumps to end with 4/52.

[23] In the First Test at the Gabba, Lindwall removed Vinoo Mankad and Gul Mohammad in the first over on a sticky wicket, precipitating a collapse which saw India skittled for 58.

Bradman assured Lindwall that he was an automatic selection for the Tests even if he did not take a wicket in the lead-in tour matches, telling him that being passed by the umpires was the first priority.

Lindwall was not required as Miller and Johnston's medium pace reduced England to 7/68 on a sticky wicket before Brown declared, forcing the Australian to bat on the unfavourable pitch.

[61][62] Lindwall accepted an offer to play in the Lancashire League in England during the Australian winter of 1952, joining Nelson Cricket Club for a sum of 600 pounds and bonuses, which did not include the boat fares for him and his wife.

Lindwall returned to Australia with a newborn son who has been born during his stay in Lancashire, and he was greeted by media speculation as to whether his professional sojourn had improved or detracted from his capabilities.

[66] Lindwall had taken 19 wickets at 20.16 in just three and a half Tests for the series,[23] and Australia seemed unlikely to find replacements for their leading strike pair anytime soon; their eventual successors Richie Benaud and Alan Davidson were still to become regular internationals.

Roland Perry wrote that Lindwall "reached his zenith, producing a sustained, sensational season of brilliant, powerful and intelligent fast bowling".

[69][72] The teams met at The Oval for the deciding Test and Australia could manage 275 after winning the toss with Lindwall striking a quickfire 62 noted for an array of off drives to top score and push the total to respectability.

Like the rest of the team, Lindwall had a poor tour on a series of dry and underprepared pitches designed to favour the Surrey spin twins of Laker and Lock.

[87] The situation worsened throughout the match as pacemen Alan Davidson and Pat Crawford were hindered by stomach bugs and hip strains respectively during the game.

Australia's depleted bowling told in the home side's second innings, as the visitors were only able to prise out five wickets and match ended in a draw, with Indian captain Polly Umrigar batting for six hours for a defiant 78.

He committed him to an intense fitness program that included a 5 km daily run followed by vigorous exercises to increase his abdominal and back strength.

[74] Denis Compton said that Lindwall had the subtleties of a slow bowler, saying that he "raised what is considered to be the labouring force of cricket [fast bowling] to an artform with his tactical shrewdness, control and variations".