It’s been exactly 19 years since arguably the greatest-ever batsman cricket has seen, Don Bradman, died on 25 February 2001 at the age of 92 after battling pneumonia. Born in Cootamundra in New South Wales, Australia, Bradman went on to become the best batsman of his era setting one record after the other – some of which still stand – finally retiring with 29 Test hundreds to his name in just 52 matches.
Bradman’s extraordinary Test career that lasted from November 1928 to August 1948 saw him being part of only 2 Australia teams which lost the Ashes in 1928-29, his debut series, and in 1932-33, when Douglas Jardine used his ‘Bodyline’ tactic to prevent the opposition batsmen from scoring freely. But even the ‘Bodyline’ theory couldn’t stop Bradman from smashing a hundred and 3 fifties, a fact that further elevated him to the pedestal of greatness.
As the world pays rich tributes to one of the best sportsmen who ever lived, we take a look at 5 Bradman records which might never be broken in times to come:
99.94 – Sure, you knew this when you read the headline! Bradman’s astronomical batting average is now considered as the unofficial benchmark while separating the best batsmen from their not-so-great colleagues. Bradman’s average of 99.94 effectively means he was scoring a 100 almost in every innings which is a mind-boggling fact on its own. Bradman’s batting average ballooned to 101.51 while leading Australia, which is another record that’s set to stand the test of time. The closest anyone comes to Bradman in the modern era are his compatriots Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith with averages of 63.43 and 62.84 respectively. But the duo will need to come up with some real miracles with the bat if they are to close in the gap with the legend.
The @NFSAonline has released the first-ever footage of the greatest cricketer of all time, Sir Donald Bradman, in colour.
The Don is playing at a testimonial match at the Sydney Cricket Ground. https://t.co/FXQuYIbPc7 pic.twitter.com/OklTlKdVTx
ABC Grandstand (@abcgrandstand) February 21, 2020
5028 – Bradman’s humongous run-tally against England in just 37 Tests, till date remains the most runs scored by a batsman vs a single opposition. Overall, England’s Jack Hobbs (3636 runs vs Australia) and India’s Sachin Tendulkar (3630 vs Australia) lie 2nd and 3rd respectively on this list even after playing more matches than Bradman. Among current players, Steve Smith with 2800 runs in Ashes contests is the frontrunner in the race but he doesn’t stand a chance of equalling Bradman’s tally even if he scores about 700 runs in each of the next 3 Ashes series.
19 – While holding the record for the most runs against a single opposition, it follows that Bradman’s 19 hundreds vs England should also be a record and it is! India’s former opener Sunil Gavaskar comes 2nd with 13 hundreds against West Indies while Steve Smith is the leader among current players with 11 hundreds against England. Smith still needs 9 more Ashes hundreds if he is to overtake Bradman which might prove to be too much even for the run-machine Australian ex-captain.
74.5 – Bradman didn’t have the luxury to play against most of the modern teams as India, West Indies, England, South Africa and Australia were the only Test-playing countries during his time. He averaged 74.5 or more against each opposition he played – something which is beyond the control of modern players as some of them don’t play too many games against every team which could allow them to bump up their average. Safe to say, this record might stay with Bradman till Test cricket continues to be played.
Fast, faster, fastest – Given his sky-high batting average, you’d think that Bradman must have been one of the fastest in completing multiples of 1000 Test runs. But just like most other players, Bradman kept on getting better after his debut and though he was the 3rd fastest (13 innings) to 1000 Test runs, since then he has managed to complete the next 5 1000 runs milestones faster than any other player in the history of the game. It was only after he retired with 6996 runs to his name that other players could lay claim to the fastest to 7000 or more Test runs. Bradman’s progression is as follows:
1000 runs – 13 innings
2000 runs – 22 innings
3000 runs – 33 innings
4000 runs – 48 innings
5000 runs – 56 innings
6000 runs – 68 innings
While this is only a glimpse of what Bradman actually achieved in his Test career, it goes without saying that he has left an indelible mark on cricket with his superhuman batting. As Bradman rests in his grave, young cricketers everywhere in the world dream of emulating his on-field numbers while debating which of their favourite current cricketers is most likely to break these records. That, in essence, is Bradman’s true cricketing legacy.
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