OTD| Don Bradman, aged 92, passed away due to pneumonia in 2001

On this day, arguably the greatest ever to hold a cricket bat, Sir Don Bradman, breathed his last in 2001. He passed away after a prolonged battle with pneumonia but his passing away could not fade away his immortal legacy. Sir Don Bradman is considered the greatest to have graced this game and it was his game that took cricket to uncharted territories. 

Bradman was once called “the greatest living Australian” by the former Australian Prime Minister and this reflects the respect that he commanded from his fellow countrymen. All this was possible because of his unparalleled ability to manoeuvre a cricket ball around the park with his willow. He played his first international match in December 1928 against the arch-rivals England. Bradman’s debut was underwhelming as he got out for scores of 18 and 1 but his career was going to be completely different than how his debut panned out. 

Bradman had an era

There are very few sportspersons who become the symbol of an era. Sir Don Bradman became the personification of his era. He played international cricket between 1928 and 1948. These two decades are largely remembered for the unbelievable heroics of one man, Bradman. The great Australian played 52 Test matches in his international career where he scored 6996 runs at an average of 99.94, simply unthinkable. 

It is not just his average that amazes a cricket fan but the description of his gameplay by his contemporaries is another prominent source of amazement. He was a modern player in every sense. Bradman believed in dominating his opponents and making them struggle for every bit. It is probably this attitude that forced the English skipper Douglas Jardine to devise the ‘Bodyline’ strategy which became very infamous back then. 

The legacy of Sir Don Bradman will live on till this game lives on. His name is synonymous with cricket and the cricketing world lost its ‘Don’ on this day in 2001 but his legacy is undying and will be cherished forever.