Sir Donald George Bradman was an Australian Cricket Player who many both peers and fans believe to be one of the greatest cricket players of all time, and definitely one of Australia’s most popular sporting heroes.
Bradman born on 27 August 1908 in Cootamundra, NSW, was the youngest son of George Bradman and Emily (Whatman) Bradman. Five children in total, a brother Victor, and sisters Islet, Lilian and Elizabeth May. At the age of two and a half years, the family relocated to Bowral, NSW.
As a youngster, Bradman became known for his obsessive practice, often hitting a ball repeatedly against a wall for hours upon hours, using only a cricket stump.
After a brief taste of tennis, he decided to dedicate his life to cricket, playing with the local boys before attracting sufficient attention at the age of eighteen to be drafted in grade cricket in Sydney.
Within a year he was representing NSW and three years after that he was making his Test debut. After receiving some criticism in the first Ashes series in 1928-29, Bradman worked constantly to perfect his game by targeting his weaknesses head on.
Despite occasional battles with illness, Bradman continued to dominate world cricket throughout the 1930’s. Bradman was so dominant that the English team resorted to ‘bodyline’ bowling on the Australian tour of 1933.
It was the time of the ‘Great Depression’ when cricket provided Australian’s with a few hours of relief, raising the spirit of a nation, until war intervened.
During the war, Bradman initially volunteered for the RAAF, but was later persuaded to join the army. In 1941, Bradman became ill and was diagnosed with fibrositis (an inflammation of fibrous connective tissue typically affecting the back and causing stiffness and pain), He was immediately discharged, and he would go on to suffer from this illness thoughout his life.
When the war ended, and approaching forty years of age (most players are retired by their mid-30s), he returned to play cricket, leading one of the most talented teams in Australia’s history. His final tour would be held in England in 1948.
Despite his less vigorous powers, he still managed to score 11 centuries and 2,432 runs on tour. The Australians won the tour 4-0. In the last test at Lords, Bradman went out to bat with an average of 101. Bradman left the ground with a standing ovation as he headed towards the famous Lords pavilion. On the occasion of his last international innings, Bradman needed four runs to be able to retire with a batting average of 100, but was dismissed for “a duck” by spin bowler Eric Hollies. England lost by an innings and he never batted again.
Over an international career spanning nearly 20 years from 1930 to 1948, Bradman’s statistical achievements were unparalleled. He broke scoring records for both first-class and Test cricket; his highest international score (334) stood for decades as the highest ever test score by an Australian. It was then equalled by Mark Taylor, who declared with his score at 334 not out in what many regard as a deliberate tribute to Bradman. In 2003 it was once more equalled then surpassed by another fellow Australian, Matthew Hayden, who fittingly went on to gain the highest score in Test cricket (380) up to that time.
For decades, Bradman was the only player with two Test triple centuries in a career. He was joined by West Indian Brian Lara in 2004; Lara broke Hayden’s record, and recorded the first Test quadruple century in history, in the process of joining Bradman in this exclusive club.
After retiring from cricket, Bradman went back to working as a stockbroker and remained a great ambassador for the sport.
He was awarded a knighthood in 1949, and a Companion of the Order of Australia (Australia’s highest civil honor) in 1979.
He was also famous for answering innumerable letters from cricket fans across the world, which he continued to do until well into his eighties.
In his private life, he married his childhood sweetheart Jessie and they went on to have two children, John and Lorraine.
Bradman was an intensely private person, probably because of the intense media scrutiny he suffered throughout his career. He also penned several books on cricket technique and tactics, which are now regarded as classics.
To sum him up, in the words of Prime Minister John Howard, “Bradman was the greatest living Australian”.
