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| Saturday, 24 April 2004 |
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Sports | |
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Sir Don the batsman loved by the world over by Premasara Epasinghe Don Bradman's status as the superman of Australian batsmanship lives on, with two of Don's most gargantuan knocks been ranked among the three greatest innings ever by an Australian cricketer. Bradman's 254 against England at Lord's in 1930, which he considered his most technically impeccable innings was voted number one. In the second place comes, his team-mate Stan McCabe's daring 232 at Trent Bridge in 1938. Third is Bradman's 334, including 309 in a single day, at Headingley in 1930. If Bradman is the Mount Everest, the other great sporting personalities are like the other supportive mountains that surrounds the great Himalayan Range. As long as the willow and the leather survive, the name of Sir Don Bradman will remain as an unfading memory. His third death anniversary fell on 25th February. At the back of our mind, we are fully aware, his name is immortal. For the lovers of cricket in Sri Lanka, this commemoration, has a special poignance, because, his country men - the world champions in both versions of the game played this game on Sri Lankan soil recently. Cricket, the world cver has not seen his equal. In consistency and degree of big scores, there is hardly no one to compare with him. He was an amazing cricketer. He had a wonderful eye, brain and power. Fast footwork, unerring judgement is also necessary for a champion batsman. No coaching manual was intended for him. Bradman was a wizard with a cricket bat. Although, he was a small man, peerless Don, was an absolute genies. It is true, that his total in Test Cricket, 6996 runs, has been surpassed, but it was the rate at which he made them, was the benchmark of his place in the game. He scored a century or more every three times he occupied the crease. In 52 Tests, he averaged 99.94 runs and if he scored 04 runs, in his last Test appearance against England in 1948, where he was bowled by Eric Hollies for no score, his average would have been in the three-figure mark. According to statistics, 16 Ducks marred his career. He was out first ball six times and second ball thrice. Bradman made his Test debut against England, in 1928 in Brisbane. He scored 18 and 01. He was dropped for the second Test and played in the third. He justified his selection by scoring 79 and 112. Bradman blossomed into a prolific scorer in 1930, setting up a first-class World Record of 452 not out for NSW versus Queensland. In the first four Ashes Tours to England, he scored 974 runs at an average of 139.14. On this tour, he made four centuries, including the then World Record of 334 not out. The crack of his bat was sweet music. He scored 309 in a single day. Bradman achieved success in the field of cricket, where Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) leader of Facist Dictatorship, could not achieve and failed against England. Bradman married Jessie Menzies on 30th April 1932, in Sydney. This partnership flourished for 65 years. Jessie passed away at the ripe age of 85 years. They had a son and a daughter, namely John & Shirley. The year 1932-1933 was an eventful year. The whole cricketing world erupted like a volcano, due to the infamous "Bodyline Series", designed by England skipper Douglas Jardine, with the able assistance of Harlod Larwood, to curb Bradman. During his career, he scored 28,067 runs at an average of 95.14 which included 117 centuries. He scored two triple hundreds, 10 double centuries, and a Test Hundred every 2.7 innings. In the 1930's, Don Bradman played in Ceylon at the then Colombo Oval. (Sara Stadium) He scored 20 runs in one encounter against All Ceylon, in a 20 yards pitch. He was caught by De Krester off the bowling of B. R. Heyn. In another All-Ceylon-Australia Match, played in 1930 at the Wanathamulla Oval, Bradman was out hit-wicket off the bowling of Niel Joseph for 40 runs. In one of his books, Bradman mentions Ceylon as a beautiful country and his visit to Mount Lavinia Hotel for lunch and his trip to see a Buddhist Temple in Colombo. Bradman was dismissed 70 times, out of 80 Test innings. In his Test career, he got run out only once and never stumped. He had a marvellous gift of getting into position and his brain and body in perfect harmony. He was knighted in 1949 by the Queen and the Australian government honoured him with the title "Companion of the Order of Australia". Sir Don Bradman died in his sleep at his home in Adeliade on February 25, 2001 at the age of 92. Not only he was great player, but was also a statesman of world cricket. As Sir Don Bradman passes into history, his giant shadow will continue to dominate the totality of the cricketing world. As much as in other cricketing lands, in Sri Lanka too, Don Bradman will remain a perennial hero, especially, because he had marked admiration of this land of ours - Sri Lanka. |
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