Sir Donald Bradman : Interesting facts and records

Sir Donald Bradman has been one of the brilliant cricketing star, the world cricket has ever encountered. His highly professional playing ability in the beginning era of the cricket itself has been a matter of great enthusiasm shown by him. He has remained in the heart of many cricket lovers and has defined the cricket batting in a new way (despite his career was disturbed by World War II, but his playing ability has never been disturbed). Today I am presenting some of the notable facts about THE DON. Lets find it out...

fact 1 : In cricketing history he has been best known with his nickname "THE DON" because of his dominating batting performance against almost all bowlers.

fact 2 : Despite being a great batsman, Bradman has taken two test wickets in his career. And his victims were Caribbean player Ivan Barrow(LBW) and English batsman Wally Hammond (bowled).

fact 3 : Don'e be amazed my friends, Bradman being a terrific batsman and being taken two wickets, he has also added another experience hi his career. Bradman played as wicket-keeper on January 18, 1939 playing for South Australia against New South Wales. During that match he scored 135* which was his 6th century.

fact 4 :  He scored his first century (115*) at the age of 12 when playing for Bowral school against Mittagong school.

fact 5 : Something unusual to hear for this great batsman, Don hit just 6 sixes in his test career (five of those versus England and one versus India ). Besides has two fives and massive 618 fours.

fact 6 : He has Against India, Don scored at a massive average of 178.75 in six innings.

fact 7 : In 1949, he was given the knighthood (a kind of great honor) after he retired from cricket. From that day onward he has been called as "Sir Donald Bradman"

fact 8 :  Bradman has scored at an impressive average of 99.94 in test cricket. Had he scored four more runs in his last match he would have an average of 100. He was out for a duck in his last match on a second delivery (googly) bowled by Eric Hollies.

fact 9 : Bradman's Dream Team XI was revealed after his death on February 25, 2001. Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar made it to his squad. His Dream Team consisted of

Arthur Robert Morris (AUS), Barry Anderson Richards (RSA), Donald George Bradman (AUS), Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (IND), Garfield St. Auburn Sobers (WI), Donald Tallon (AUS), Raymond Russell Lindwall (AUS), Alec Victor Bedser (ENG), Dennis Keith Lillee (AUS), William Joseph O'Reilly (AUS) and Clarence Victor Grimmett (AUS).

fact 10 : His highest score without scoring a triple century is 299*. On February 1, 1932 (versus South Africa) he run outs his last batsman while going for his 300th run.

fact 11 : On seeing Sachin Teldulkar playing on TV, Bradman said to his wife that this young lad plays the way he does. His wife responded in affirmative to him.

fact 12 : He scored 26% of his team's runs in his Test career

fact 13 : The ABC postal address in all capital cities of Australia is Post Office Box 9994, Bradman's Test batting average

fact 14 : Bradman scored century in every 2.8 innings

fact 15 : Bradman run scoring time has been found quicker: in innings where he scored 50 or more he scored at a rate of 42 runs per hour, 100 or more at 44 runs/hour, and in innings over 200 he increased his rate to 49 runs/hour.

fact 16 : He has never been stumped and been dismissed on 90s in tests.

fact 17 : In Bradman's 70 Test dismissals, 39 were caught (59%) including 10 by the wicket-keeper and 23 bowled (33%). He was LBW 6 times, run out once and hit wicket once

fact 18 : Bradman's average in test matches reached 50 with his 3rd innings, and stayed above 50 for the rest of his career.

fact 19 : Bradman is the only Australian cricketer who has twice scored a century and a duck in the same Test.

fact 20 : Don Bradman used bats produced by Yorkshire firm William Sykes & Sons throughout his career (from 1929) until the Second World War when the company was taken over by Slazengers. His autographed bat named as "Bradman Autographed Bat" is still produced by Slazengers.

fact 21 : Current test records still held by Bradman

• Highest Individual Test Batting Average (minimum 15 innings) 99.94
• Highest Test Batting Average for a 5-Test Series 201.50 (v South Africa, Australia, 1931-32)
• Equal top-scorer of triple centuries (with Lara) 2
• 5th wicket partnership (with Sid Barnes 1946-47) 405
• 6th wicket partnership (with Jack Fingleton 1936-37) 346
• Only Test batsman to score more than 5,000 runs v an opponent (5,028 v England)
• 7 times scored 500 or more runs in a Test series (Equal with Lara)
• Six times scored centuries in an interval (once pre lunch, twice lunch-tea, three times tea-stumps)
• Scored the most runs in a single day’s play 309 v England, Leeds, 1930

[some part of the above article has been  adopted from The Bradman Foundation ]

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