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Donald Bradman

Donald Bradman

Net Worth

$5,000,000

Born in (City)

Cootamundra

Born in (Country)

Australia

Date of Birth

27th December, 1908

Date of Death

25th December, 2001

Mother

Emily Bradman

Father

George Bradman

Children

  • John Bradman
  • Shirley Bradman

About

Donald Bradman was an Australian cricketer hailed as the greatest Test batsman of all time. Scoring an average of 99.4 runs in Test matches over the course of his 20-year career, between 1928 t0 1948. Bradman was born on 27th August 1908 in Cootamundra in New South Wales. He grew up in an agricultural family. He was a quiet child with a few friends and often entertained himself by tossing a golf ball against a brick water tank near his house. When hit into the curved brick facing of the stand, the ball rebounded at high speed and varying angles, Bradman would attempt to hit it, hour after hour. Little did he know that by hitting the ball with a cricket stump he would be sharpening his reflexes and developing his strokes, the fleetness of foot, and his concentration.

Early Life

His passion for cricket, as well as his exceptional natural ability, led to playing for Bowral Public School. He went on to score his first century at the age of 12 in 1920. He left school two years later to achieve his goal of playing for his country. For two years he left cricket and pursued tennis instead. In 1925, he returned to cricket for good. It was always said that he could have become a champion at squash or tennis or billiards, yet he preferred cricket to them. He started to play for the Bowral senior team which often played against other rural towns. He impressed one and all by making impressive scores like 234 and 320 not out. Bradman became a regular selection for the Bowral team, his outstanding performance caught the attention of the Sydney daily press. The following year saw the Australian team lose the Ashes in England, and several players retired. The New South Wales Cricket Association began a hunt for talent. The association was mindful of Bradman\’s score and wrote to him, inviting him to attend a practice session in Sydney. Bradman\’s performances helped him get a chance to play grade cricket with the St. George team in the 1926-1927 season. He scored 110, making his first century on a turf pitch. The next season continued with the rapid rise of the “Boy from Bowral”. He was selected for the New South Wales team, to replace Archie Jackson. He made his first-class debut at the Adelaide Oval when he was 19. He marked his entry with a smashing performance with the bat, scoring 118 runs. Despite his potential, Bradman was not selected for the Australian second team to tour New Zealand. Bradman moved to Sydney to improve his chances in the Test selection for the 1928-29 season when England went to tour in the defense of the Ashes. In the first match of Sheffield Shield season, he scored a century in each innings against Queensland. He went on to score 87 and 132 not out against England touring team and was selected for the first Test, to be played in Brisbane. He played his first Test match in November 1928 against England. Though his performance in his test debut was poor, with scores of 18 and 1, the selectors dropped Bradman. He was recalled for the third test at Melbourne where he displayed immense potential scoring 72 and 112 and thus becoming the youngest player at the time to make a Test century. Although the match was lost, another loss followed the Fourth test. The Australians however, did manage to win the Fifth and final Test. Bradman top-scored with 123 in the first innings. He ended the season with 1690 first-class runs, and the highest score of 340, not out against Victoria. He averaged 133.28 in 1929-30. Bradman set a then-world record for his first-class cricket scoring 452 not out, in only 415 minutes against Queensland.

Road to Success

Bradman was chosen to play the 1930 Ashes series against England. Bradman began the tour with 236 and went on to score 1000 first-class runs by the end of May, the fifth player and the first Australian to achieve this feat. In his first Test appearance in England Bradman hit 131 in the second innings. His batting reached new levels and he maintained his form and hit two centuries, one each in each of the innings in the third test. He made a triple century in the fourth and final test. Australia won the Ashes. Bradman scored 974 runs at an unbelievable average of 139.14. It was during this time that the world was reeling under the Great Depression, Australia\’s sporting achievements were a much-needed respite. His popularity grew and he became a celebrated national hero with this performance. In the Australian summer of 1931-32, against the tourist, he made 30, 14, 219. In the Fourth Test at Adelaide, he scored 299 not out, setting a new record for the highest score in a Test in Australia. Australia won none out of the ten tests they played. At this point, since 1930 Bradman had played 15 test matches, scoring 2,227 runs at an average of 131. The 1932-33 Ashes in Australia, proved to be the toughest series of Bradman\’s career. His form dipped for the first time with him just averaging 40 runs per innings after the introduction of the controversial “Bodyline” technique by English captain Douglas Jardine. It involved bowling the cricket ball towards the body of the batsman on the line of the leg stump. The tactic was considered intimidatory and physically threatening. It was successful in curbing his skill and reducing his batting average. The Australian team fared badly and concede the Ashes 4-1 to England. Bradman made 6996 runs in 52 Test Matches (80 innings) and scored 29 test centuries which was a world record at the time. In the 1949 New Year Honours, he was appointed Knight Bachelor for his services to the game, becoming the only Australian cricketer ever to be Knighted. He is considered the greatest test cricketers of all time and one of the greatest entertainers that the world of sport has seen

Challenges

In the 1936-37 Ashes Bradman was the captain of the Australian team and took responsibility for regaining the Ashes. Test 11 suffered a big defeat, due to Bradman\’s 212 and a haul of 12 wickets taken by the opposition. Australia fell to successive defeats in the opening two Tests, Bradman making two ducks in his four innings. In an innings spread over three days, he battled influenza while scoring 270 off 375 balls, leading Australia to victory. In the series-deciding Fifth Test, Bradman returned to a more aggressive style in top-scoring with 169 and Australia won the innings. He performed exceptionally well in the 1938 tour of England. He played 26 innings in his tour and amasses a staggering 13 centuries. The Second World War ate up the golden period of his career. He joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1940 and was deemed fit to aircrew duty. But he was soon transferred to the army and given the rank of Lieutenant. He returned to playing cricket in the mid-1940s. There was no one more loved and adored in Australia than Don Bradman during his playing days. In the 1948 Ashes, he amassed 715 runs at an average of close to 178.5. Their team won the series 4-0 and they were dubbed, “The Invincibles”. In his last innings at the Oval ground, he needed just 4 runs to retire with an average of 100. But he was out for a duck which meant his average remained at 99.4. Don Bradman battled with health issues throughout his career. He was hospitalized with pneumonia in December 2000, he returned home in the New Year and died on 25th February aged 92.

Failures

In the early Sixties, Bradman restrained the growing prevalence of outlawed bowling actions within the game, liaising with the English authorities to assist solve a tangle that Bradman referred to as "the most complicated I even have famous in cricket, as a result of it's not a matter of reality however of opinion." Bradman was defendant of victimization Australian paceman Ian Meckiff as a "sacrificial goat", by choosing him to play Tests once it had been believed that he in-camera felt that Meckiff had AN outlawed action, so Meckiff would be no-balled, so it'd show that Australia was serious regarding stamping out throwing. Meckiff was punctually referred to as Colin Egar in December 1964, ending his career. several cricket writers assailed Bradman and therefore the alternative selectors for causing Meckiff dead set to be "executed". World Series Cricket Bradman competes for a crucial role throughout the planet Series Cricket (WSC) division of the late Seventies. He was no fan of the idea however he restrained WSC in a very a lot of pragmatic manner than alternative members of the ACB.[46] Bradman realized the weaknesses inherent in Australian cricket and favored compromise terribly early within the dispute. In 1977, Richie Benaud, employed as an advisor and commentator for WSC, ready a document for WSC on the inner workings of official cricket, and represented Bradman as "a good administrator and businessman" and warned that he wasn't to be underestimated.[47] During the primary season of peace between the 2 organizations (1979–80), Bradman felt that Packer's men, currently effectively running the sport, were easing him out. Former WSC Australian captain Ian Chappell was taking part in his last season. when serving a three-week suspension for wrongdoing, Chappell was once more according to an umpire for poor on-field conduct in his initial match back. Bradman was asked to move a three-man disciplinary hearing for Chappell, World Health Organization found the proceedings drinking a brewage. Chris writer quotes Bradman on what transpired: It was a set-up. the 2 alternative Board members cried off with feeble excuses and that I had to sit down alone in judgment. I detected the case; found Chappell guilty as charged and suspended him now for an amount of six weeks. I sent my report back to the Board World Health Organization failed to back ME up. Chappell's sentence was suspended. I had no alternative course of action than to visualize the season through and not re-nominate once more

Achievements

1928-1948 Test matches with an average score of 99.94|1928-1948 Scores a lot of triple centuries (6) and a lot of double centuries (37) in cricket history than the other batsman|1949 Becomes 1st Australian cricketer to be knighted|1979 Becomes a Companion of the Order of Australia

Quotes

  • When considering the stature of an athlete or for that matter any person, I set great store in certain qualities which I believe to be essential in addition to skill. They are that the person conducts his or her life with dignity, with integrity, courage, and perhaps most of all, with modesty. These virtues are totally compatible with pride, ambition, and competitiveness
  • I was never coached; I was never told how to hold a bat.
  • Every ball went exactly where I wanted it to go until the ball that got me out
  • May cricket continue to flourish and spread its wings. The world can only be richer for it.
  • When you play test cricket, you don't give the Englishmen an inch. Play it tough, all the way. Grind them into the dust.