Sir Donald George Bradman, nicknamed “The Don”, was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman’s career Test batting average of 99.94 has been cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport.
The story that the young Bradman practised alone with a cricket stump and a golf ball is part of Australian folklore. Bradman’s meteoric rise from bush cricket to the Australian Test team took just over two years. Before his 22nd birthday, he had set many records for top scoring, some of which still stand and became Australia’s sporting idol at the height of the Great Depression.
20 – year playing career
During a 20-year playing career, Bradman consistently scored at a level that made him, in the words of former Australia captain Bill Woodfull, “worth three batsmen to Australia”. A controversial set of tactics, known as Bodyline, was specially devised by the England team to curb his scoring.
As a captain and administrator, Bradman was committed to attacking, entertaining cricket; he drew spectators in record numbers.
He hated the constant adulation, however, and it affected how he dealt with others. The focus of attention on his individual performances strained relationships with some teammates, administrators and journalists, who thought him aloof and wary.
Following an enforced hiatus due to the Second World War, he made a dramatic comeback, captaining an Australian team known as “The Invincibles” on a record-breaking unbeaten tour of England.
Bradman practised batting incessantly during his youth. He invented his own solo cricket game, using a cricket stump for a bat and a golf ball. A water tank, mounted on a curved brick stand, stood on a paved area behind the family home.
When hit into the curved brick facing of the stand, the ball rebounded at high speed and varying angles—and Bradman would attempt to hit it again. This form of practice developed his timing and reactions to a high degree. In more formal cricket, he hit his first century at the age of 12, with an undefeated 115 playing for Bowral Public School against Mittagong High School.
During the 1920–21 season, Bradman acted as scorer for the local Bowral team, captained by his uncle George Whatman.
In October 1920, he filled in when the team was one man short, scoring 37 not out and 29 not out on debut. During the season, Bradman’s father took him to the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) to watch the fifth Ashes Test match.
On that day, Bradman formed an ambition. “I shall never be satisfied”, he told his father, “until I play on this ground”. Bradman left school in 1922 and went to work for a local real estate agent who encouraged his sporting pursuits by giving him time off when necessary.
He gave up cricket in favour of tennis for two years, but resumed playing cricket in 1925–26.
The New South Wales Cricket Association began a hunt for new talent. Mindful of Bradman’s big scores for Bowral, the association wrote to him, requesting his attendance at a practice session in Sydney. He was subsequently chosen for the “Country Week” tournaments at both cricket and tennis, to be played during separate weeks. His boss presented him with an ultimatum: he could have only one week away from work and therefore had to choose between the two sports.
He chose cricket. Bradman’s performances during Country Week resulted in an invitation to play grade cricket in Sydney for St. George in the 1926–27 season. He scored 110 on his debut, making his first century on a turf pitch.
On January 1 1927, he turned out for the NSW second team. For the remainder of the season, Bradman travelled the 130 kilometres (81 miles) from Bowral to Sydney every Saturday to play for St. George.
Test selection
Bradman decided that his chances for Test selection would be improved by moving to Sydney for the 1928–29 season, when England were to tour in defence of the Ashes.
Initially, he continued working in real estate, but later took a promotions job with the sporting goods retailer Mick Simmons Ltd. In the first match of the Sheffield Shield season, he scored a century in each innings against Queensland. He followed this with scores of 87 and 132 not out against the England touring team and was rewarded with selection for the first Test, to be played at Brisbane.
England were favourites to win the 1930 Ashes series and if the Australians were to exceed expectations, their young batsmen, Bradman and Jackson, needed to prosper. In his first Test appearance in England, Bradman hit 131 in the second innings but England won the match. His batting reached a new level in the Second Test at Lord’s where he scored 254 as Australia won and levelled the series.
Later in life, Bradman rated this the best innings of his career as, “practically without exception every ball went where it was intended to go”. Wisden noted his fast footwork and how he hit the ball “all round the wicket with power and accuracy”, as well as faultless concentration in keeping the ball on the ground.
In the deciding Test at The Oval, England made 405. During an innings stretching over three days due to intermittent rain, Bradman made yet another multiple century, this time 232, which helped give Australia a big lead of 290 runs. A number of English players and commentators noted Bradman’s discomfort in playing the short, rising delivery.
Revelation
The revelation came too late for this particular match, but was to have immense significance in the next Ashes series. Australia won the match by an innings and regained the Ashes. The victory made an impact in Australia.
In 1930–31, against the first West Indian side to visit Australia, Bradman’s scoring was more sedate than in England—although he did make 223 in 297 minutes in the Third Test at Brisbane and 152 in 154 minutes in the following Test at Melbourne.
However, he scored quickly in a very successful sequence of innings against the South Africans in the Australian summer of 1931–32. For NSW against the tourists, he made 30, 135 and 219.
In the Test matches, he scored 226 (277 minutes), 112 (155 minutes), 2 and 167 (183 minutes); his 299 not out in the Fourth Test, at Adelaide, set a new record for the highest score in a Test in Australia. Australia won nine of the ten Tests played over the two series.
In his farewell season for NSW, Bradman averaged 132.44, his best yet.
He was appointed vice-captain for the 1934 tour of England. However, “he was unwell for much of the [English] summer and reports in newspapers hinted that he was suffering from heart trouble.” Although he again started with a double century at Worcester, his famed concentration soon deserted him. (TBR)