Sir Donald Bradman

Who is Sir Donald Bradman?

Sir Donald George Bradman was born in 1908 in Cootamundra, New South Wales, and grew up in Bowral, where he famously practised by hitting a golf ball against a water tank with a cricket stump. Widely regarded as the greatest batsman in the history of cricket, he played Test cricket for Australia from 1928 to 1948 and finished with a Test batting average of 99.94, a statistic so far ahead of any other player that it is considered one of sport's most extraordinary records. He captained Australia, led the "Invincibles" team on the unbeaten 1948 tour of England, and was the target of England's controversial "Bodyline" tactics in 1932-33, devised specifically to curb his scoring. Knighted in 1949 for services to cricket, Bradman became a revered national icon whose name is synonymous with sporting excellence. He died in Adelaide in 2001.

Sources: Donald Bradman, 'The Art of Cricket' (1958) · Australian Dictionary of Biography, entry 'Bradman, Sir Donald George (Don)' · International Cricket Council / cricket Test records (career average 99.94)