“The Don ” aka Sir Donald George Bradman, was an Australian international legendary Cricketer. He is arguably the greatest batsman of all time.

About Donald (Don) Bradman:

Donald Bradman is a name to reckon with in the Cricketing and the sporting world and he had done the impossible and it’s still unbeaten till date…Tells Hirav Shah, Renowned Business Enhancement Expert.

Indeed, 99.94 which is his world famous test batting average, has been cited as the greatest achievement in any major sport by any sportsman.

Don Bradman’s Life:

The youngest child of a farmer/carpenter, Donald Bradman was born in Cootamundra, New South Wales, on August 27, 1908. Because of his mother’s health, the family moved to Bowral in 1911.

From his maternal uncles George and Richard Whatman, he learnt Cricket and he developed his batting there only and that is
by throwing a golf ball against a tank stand and playing it with a stump and his fielding, by throwing a golf ball at the bottom rail of a fence.

In the Country, as a teenager, Bradman played Saturday Afternoon Cricket and he quickly progressed to make huge scores.

The New South Wales Cricket Association, in 1926, asked Bradman to play in trial games. He obviously attracted the selectors’ eye as a player of the future.

At the beginning of the 1928-1929 season, after a series of big scores, Bradman was selected to play for Australia against Perry Chapman’s English side. In the first test, while underperforming and being dropped to 12th man for the second, he scored two centuries in the remaining rubbers to establish his place in team Australia.

[wpdatatable id=36]

Timeless lessons from Don Bradman:

Excellence To Inspire- What the world ought to take away from Sir Don’s limitless graph of excellence is, using personal excellence to inspire generations.
Positive Mindset- He was believed to be the most positive batsmen of his time. One of his statements when asked about his positive approach towards batting was “I bat the same when I am at 0 or 99 because I don’t see the possibility of any ball getting me out”

How’s that for a super positive mindset?

Don Bradman’s Quotes & Speeches:

More than anything Bradman was extraordinary at his job and his craftsmanship was world class. His famous sayings include-

“A good captain must be a fighter; confident but not arrogant, firm but not obstinate; able to take criticism without letting it unduly disturb him, for he is sure to get it — and unfairly, too.”
“I was never coached; I was never told how to hold a bat. Every ball went exactly where I wanted it to go until the ball that got me out.”

Movies on Don Bradman’s Life:

Several movies/ TV shows have been dedicated or inspired from or related to Don Bradman. Some of them are Richie Benaud’s Greatest XI(2004), Bradman: 87 Not Out(1996), Bradman(1990) and Bodyline(1984).

Donald (Don) Bradman Demise:

25th February 2001 was the day, when the world woke to the sad news of Sir Donald Bradman’s demise at the age of 92 at Kensington Park, South Australia. An era had ended, indeed…

Donald (Don) Bradman’s Legacy:

Bradman scored 6,996 runs for Australia and set a record with his average of 99.94 runs per contest, in Test (international) matches.

Between 1928 and 1948, he scored 19 centuries (100 runs in a single innings) in Test matches against England. In 1930, on his first visit to England, he established a Test record (eventually broken) by scoring 334 runs in one innings; in 1934, also in England, he had an innings of 304 runs.

He captained the Australian team in 1948, that was victorious in England, four matches to none. In 1949, he retired from first-class cricket and was knighted in the same year.

I am certain the world, not just the Cricketing fraternity, would have learned a lot from him, like how to be a master of the “game” and still remain a “gentleman”- Concludes Renowned Business Transformation Leader Hirav Shah.