A jewel in the crown

The Don saw in Sachin Tendulkar’s batting, a likeness to his own style.-AP

Sir Donald George Bradman, whose 100th birth anniversary fell on August 27, was a champion at everything he did. Meticulous to a fault, he was indeed a paragon of everything good about cricket. There can never be a better advertisement for the game than Bradman, writes Vijay Lokapally.

In 1938, cricket scribe Jack Ingham wrote, “It is strange, but I think true, that all the time, day and night, somewhere in the world someone is talking about Bradman.”

How do you remember Sir Donald George Bradman? As the best batsman ever, a mean run-machine, an intriguing character, a great entertainer, and above all, a fine human being? The Don was unique in every way and few sporting individuals have commanded a s much respect and awe as this unassuming Australian. Shops and offices would close because people wanted to watch him bat.

This is not an attempt to assess his cricketing feats. The Don’s achievements have been well documented and discussed by some of the illustrious names from different eras. Bradman has remained an evergreen subject for the students of the game. He was a maestro born to enrich cricket.

Bradman had a huge admiration for performing opponents. Alec Bedser was said to cause discomfort to the Don and the latter, too, was quick to acknowledge this. Bradman once wrote about a dismissal effected by Bedser in Adelaide in 1946. The Don rated it the best ball he had ever faced. “It swung in, pitched to the right of leg stump and took the off bail,” was his description of that particular delivery. Bedser, for his part, had said that it was an education to bowl to Bradman.

In the opinion of Test colleague Jack Fingleton, the Don was “indisputably the greatest and most publicized batsman in the history of the game.” Fingleton is credited with penning one of the finest books on Bradman, ‘Brightly Fades The Don’, a tribute that dealt with various aspects of the great man’s cricket, both the good and the dark moments. Fingleton also did not mind playing second fiddle when batting with the master. Many of his partners were happy at the other end, enjoying the art of batting at its best when Bradman was in action.

From most accounts available, Bradman was a man with a sharp and long memory, a very incisive mind and unsparing when dealing with indiscipline. He was very possessive when it came to cricket, was a traditionalist to the core and that explains his dislike for Kerry Packer’s cricket circus. The day-night cricket extravaganza that shook the world and the man behind it, Packer, never found a place in Bradman’s life.

Bradman had his share of controversies. The stand-off with the players, when he, as administrator, did not agree to a pay hike, has been highlighted by one of Australia’s most colourful cricket characters, Ian Chappell, who reported for the meeting with a cigar in one hand and a glass of beer in the other. Chappell made no secret of his dislike for Bradman and his ways. “Bradman appeared, like many of his colleagues on the Board, to carry on as though the money was his own,” says Chappell in his book.

Richie Benaud too conceded in his autobiography that the cricketers in his country indeed were being “paid far too little and having virtually no input into the game in Australia,” but the legendary leg-spinner gave credit to Bradman’s administrative skill, rating it “outstanding.”

Former Test spinner Arthur Mailey described Bradman as a “paradox, an enigma; an idol of millions of people, yet, with a few, the most unpopular cricketer I have ever met. Bradman was brought up the hard way, the lonely way. As a team-mate, I have always found Bradman dependable, a good sportsman. As an interviewer, I have found him reliable, fearless, and fair, but most unsatisfactory.”

Ray Robinson, one of the finest cricket writers ever, gives an insight into the business acumen of Bradman and his love for money. He also talks about the amazing aura that surrounded the Don. “I remember Don being the most bowled-to and talked-about figure. Criticism tended to make the bulk of Australians close ranks behind their national hero,” wrote Robinson.

Former colleague Bill O’Reilly spells out his relationship with Bradman in his autobiography most honestly. “On the cricket field Bradman and I had the greatest respect for each other. Off the field, we had not much in common. You could say we did not like each other. He was a teetotaller, ambitious, conservative and meticulous. I was outspoken and gregarious, an equally ambitious young man of Irish descent.”

The Don was described as a master of his fate, a flawless batsman, and an able leader. As Robinson so aptly wrote, “Don Bradman had at least one great advantage over other Test captains: himself batting for his own cause.” He was astute. Twice he sent in tail-enders in Tests to counter the declarations by the opposition. No wonder, he created a team that came to be known as The Invincibles and finished his career with 29 Test centuries from a mere 52 Tests at an astounding average of 99.94, excelling often on uncovered pitches without protective equipment.

Critics at different stages of his career lashed out at Bradman for being aloof and not mixing with players even when he was leading the side. The Don explains in ‘Farewell To Cricket,’ “I was often accused of being unsociable because at the end of the day I did not think it my duty to breast the bar and engage in a beer-drinking contest. At least I made no attempt to interfere with the habit of others, and if I thought my most important need was a cup of tea I had as much right to complain of their late entry into the dining room as they had to complain of my absence from the bar.”

The great man never set foot on Indian soil, but had high regard for some of the players, Sachin Tendulkar being the most notable. When Lala Amarnath’s team travelled to Australia in 1947-48, Bradman received the team at the airport. Wrote Vijay Hazare, who scored a century in each innings of the Adelaide Test, “We had the thrill of our life when we met Don Bradman in person. No other cricketer has had such a halo around his name as Bradman. A cricketing legend in his lifetime, we found Bradman a warm-hearted person and quite friendly.”

Hazare’s views are shared by many Indian stars, who have had the good fortune of meeting Bradman in person in the subsequent years. It is said that Nelson Mandela, when released from prison, wanted to know if Don Bradman was still “alive.”

Bradman was a champion at everything he did. Meticulous to a fault, he was indeed a paragon of everything good about cricket. “He would have been an excellent sportsman in any field,” observed G. R. Visvanath, one of India’s finest Test batsmen. Bradman was good at bridge, golf and squash, each demanding skills of a varied kind.

What an irony! The batsman who set benchmarks that remain untouched even today, a batsman who gave nightmares to bowlers and rarely succumbed when under duress, failed to score in his last Test innings.

He was a purist’s delight, a victim most sought after, a colleague most admired, and above all, a hero most revered. He never refused autographs, signing each with care and affection and at the age of 90, he signed 180 autographs for a charitable cause. There can never be a better advertisement for the game than Sir Donald George Bradman.

THE DON FACTFILEName:Nationality: Australian.

Born: August 27, 1908 in Cootamundra, New South Wales.

Died: February 25, 2001 in Adelaide, South Australia.

Batting style: Right-handed.Bowling style: Legbreak.Height: 5 foot, 7 inches.

First-class career: 1927-28 to 1948-49, playing for New South Wales, South Australia and Australia, 234 matches, making 28,067 runs, including 117 centuries, with a highest score of 452 (not out against Queensland in 1930) and a batting average of 95.14.

Test career: Debut in Australia v England at Brisbane, November 1928. Final Test was England v Australia at The Oval, London, August, 1948. 52 Tests, making 6,996 runs including 29 centuries, with a highest score of 334 and a batting average of 99.94.

Significant events

* Scores 236 in his first match in England (at Worcester) aged 21 in 1930, becoming the youngest overseas player to score a double century in England. Scored 131 and 254 in the first two Tests of the tour, and broke the world Test batting record with a 334 in the third Test. Made 232 runs in the fifth Test.

* England’s fast bowlers target Bradman during the 1932-33 ’Bodyline’ series in Australia, keeping him down to an average of 56.57 runs per innings.

* Bradman appointed Test captain for the first time in 1936. He was made a Test selector the same year.

* Captained the 1948 Australian team dubbed ‘The Invincibles’ for their unbeaten tour of England. The Australian team won 17 matches by an innings and four of the five Tests easily.

* Dismissed for no score in his last Test innings in England, when just four runs would have given him a career average of 100.

* Knighted March 15, 1949, the only Australian cricketer to receive the honour.

Incomparable indeed

Australians celebrated the centenary of the birth of Sir Donald Bradman on August 27, paying tribute to the world’s greatest cricketer and a man who helped forge their national identity.

Bradman, who died in 2001 aged 92 and played his last innings 60 years ago to retire with a Test batting average of 99.94, was hailed by current Australian captain Ricky Ponting as an incomparable figure in the history of cricket and of sport.

“It’s almost like he’s separate from the game,” Ponting said. “His name and what he achieved, it’s so far out of any player’s reach, in his time or any player who has played since. It’s almost like he played a different game to what we’re playing. Is there anyone who’s ever played any sport who’s been able to achieve that level of greatness?”

Ponting doubted if it was possible for a modern player to score 300 runs in a day, like Bradman did at Leeds in 1930. “As a team we do try and score at least 300 runs a day in Test cricket,” he said. “In honour of Bradman’s legacy that’s the least we can do.”

Ponting rated the achievements of Don Bradman above those of the Olympic swimmers Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz and sprinter Usain Bolt, Cricinfo reported.

His achievements in cricket came at a time when Australia was breaking traditional ties with Britain and he was seen as a hero for the era, helping Australians claim their independence and craft their character.

Bradman: Little known facts

1) Sir Donald Bradman was out hit-wicket only once in his career. The bowler was Lala Amarnath and the incident happened in the first Test in Brisbane during India’s 1947-48 tour. The Don had played so far back that he broke the stumps from behind.

2) When the Don was dismissed for a world record score of 334 at Headingley in 1930, the London Star carried just a two-word announcement on the entire page. It read “He’s Out.”

3) The Don’s Sheffield Shield match fee in the early 1930s was 10 Shillings a day. It was 25 Pounds for a Test.

4) On 27 occasions he scored 200 runs or more in a day.

5) He was also good at tennis, golf, squash, table tennis, bridge…

6) His favourite beverage was tea and he insisted on making it himself. His favourite dessert was rice pudding.

7) It is said that he received almost 600 letters a day on the 1948 tour of England. A classic was one which bore only his photograph and announced, ‘Somewhere playing in England’. Needless to say, it reached him promptly.

8) John Bradman, the Don’s son, changed his name to John Bradsen in 1972 to escape what he called the “metaphysical glass cage” of being the son of a legend. He returned to his original name in 1998 and was very close to the Don in his twilight years.

9) The little wonder from Bowral was knighted in 1949.

10) The Don enjoyed two stints as a journalist — when he covered Australia’s tour to England in 1953 and 1956 for the Daily Mail.