When a hero is celebrated a hundred years after the day he was born in a little unknown town called Cootmundra in New South Wales, it usually means that the man has achieved a greatness beyond imagination. But it is also with some trepidation that it must be stated that on the anniversary of this great man, cricket is perhaps holding onto its past, knowing that what was witnessed will perhaps never come around.
Mention Sir Don Bradman and it seems his Test average of 99.96 has become synonymous with him. And yet this boy from Bowral appeared a fairly meticulous man with extraordinary skills and abilities and attention to detail. For those not privileged enough to see the man in action, perhaps the association stems not from past footage but the lingering memories of a television series that depicted the Bodyline tactics employed by the then England captain, Douglas Jardine, to curb the phenomenon that was Bradman in 1932-’33 series. The legend of the man is simply too vast to fathom and like his glory, much to take in and understand in the context of his time.

Tales abound of the pace at which Bradman would carve an innings and the methodical precision he would employ even if it lacked an obvious, boisterous streak. His battles with playing the dual roles as writer and player reflects much on today’s time when players use their ghost name to rake in big bucks. Bradman battled illness and continued to shine despite it. To this date, his shots and techniques are discussed in terms of emulating them for similar effect and yet even the best fall short of his brilliance not only in statistics but the manner in which he went about setting and achieving new goals.
A run down of some of the records of a man who came from humble beginnings to lead Australia’s ‘Invincibles’ that continue to awe contemporary cricketers, former greats and spectators alike:
• 2 triple centuries, now equaled by Virender Sehwag and Brian Lara
• 6 - most consecutive matches that included a century: 6
• 6 - the number of centuries scored in a single session of play
• 309 - most runs in one day’s play
• 12 - most double centuries
• 3 - most double centuries in a series
• 99.96 – of course the most awesome average in Test cricket, falling short by just four runs
His records have stood the test of time, almost making it appear that Bradman was more myth than a real human being. His achievements can be better understood from the times in which Australia survived through the dark days of depression. But from amidst the darkness, appeared a light in the form of an outstanding player who would make Australia forever proud. It did not exactly win the approval of his team mates who were divided by the attention accorded to Bradman, the religious pretexts prevailing at the time and the fact that Bradman was not entirely forthcoming an individual to win a popularity context within his own dressing room. A mistaken, misunderstood man sometimes, Bradman lived stoically and in dignified manner, unfazed by his own genius, right till his death in 2001 at the age of ninety-one.

In his latter years, Bradman’s name became a point for consternation. The attention, the media glare, public curiosity caused a few hairy moment for Sir Don and uncomfortable moments with his son, John who even changed his surname to escape it. However, John Bradman has adopted the name again and hopes to keep the legend of Bradman preserved because cricket’s legendary story would simply be incomplete without the name Sir Don Bradman.
Crickblog salutes the man on his 100th Birth Anniversary. May his legend continue to grow.