Sir Donald George Bradman

Sir Donald George Bradman

In the world of sport, there occasionally comes a being of superlative skill, whose exploits in the game define him or her as even greater than the great players. Michael Jordan in basketball and boxer Muhammad Ali were two of the mould, breaking through the supposed boundaries of their sport. In the world of cricket, Sir Donald Bradman was such a man. The most prolific (Highly productive) run-maker ever and, in terms of statistics, the greatest batsman ever. At the end of the twentieth century, just over a year before the great man's death, nobody playing the game had got within spitting distance of his unparallel batting record. He averaged 99.94 in all test matches- the five-day form of the game that is regarded as the most demanding. Compare his average to the best that hover around the 50-60 mark. There can be little doubt that these others were, and according to those still playing, are, truly great players. Realizing that Bradman's test average is nearly twice their averages, it gives you an idea of how great he was.

Don Bradman was born in 1908 in a backwater village, near to the city of Sydney in Australia. He found that his school didn't apportion him much importance to sport, much to his disappointment. Coupled with lack of school friends living near by, he was forced to find ways to amuse himself. He invented a game where he slung a golf ball against a water tank, and, grabbing a cricket stump with both hands, tried to zip the ball back as it came back at some speed and odd angle towards him. He admitted later in life that, in his own modest reserved way, than more often than not he was successful in hitting his target. Also he revealed that many a cricket fantasy was lived playing the same game.

Having perfected his hand-eye coordination from a tender age, he was able to test his ability real soon after leaving school. A local club team Bowral Town, found themselves a man short when young Bradman was their scorer. He was invited to play and played at number ten, scored a remarkable 37 not out. Soon afterwards he scored a remarkable 300 in one innings. This let his mother to buy him a new bat and an invitation to audition at The Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). He played his first season in shield cricket for New South Wales in 1927 and scored 118 in his first innings.