Who was Sir Donald Bradman?

Sir Donald Bradman (1908 to 2001) was an Australian Test cricketer widely considered the greatest batsman in the history of the sport. His Test batting average of 99.94 across 52 matches and 80 innings between 1928 and 1948 remains untouched by any other Test cricketer, and he is the only batsman in history to have averaged more than 60.

Bradman grew up in Bowral in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, where he practised his hand-eye coordination as a boy by hitting a golf ball against a brick water tank with a cricket stump. He made his Test debut at the age of 20 against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1928. His 1930 tour of England produced 974 runs in five Tests at an average of 139.14 (still a Test series record), making him a national hero in the depths of the Great Depression.

Bradman captained Australia in 24 Test matches between 1936 and 1948 with 15 wins, three losses, and six draws. The 1932 to 1933 Bodyline series in Australia (when the English team led by Douglas Jardine deliberately bowled fast short-pitched balls at the Australian batsmen) caused diplomatic tensions between Australia and Britain. The 1948 Australian tour of England, known as the Invincibles tour, was the first Australian Test team to go through an English tour undefeated. Bradman's final Test innings, against England at the Oval in August 1948, has become part of cricket folklore. He came to the wicket needing only four runs to finish his career with a Test average of 100. He was bowled second ball for a duck by the leg-spinner Eric Hollies, dropping his career average to 99.94.

Bradman was knighted in 1949, served as a national selector and administrator until 1971, and became one of Australia's most respected public figures. He featured on the 2008 commemorative 20-cent coin marking his centenary, becoming the first cricketer to appear on Australian currency. The Bradman Museum in Bowral and the Bradman Stand at the Adelaide Oval honour his legacy. Prime Minister John Howard called him 'the greatest living Australian' before his death on 25 February 2001 at age 92. Bradman's 99.94 average has become a shorthand for Australian sporting excellence: the ABC studio postcode in Sydney is 2999.4, and many bus routes, phone numbers, and other identifiers across Australia incorporate the figure as a tribute.