The Don! Greatest to ever do it! Amazing story towards the end with Jeff Thomson! The photo @ 9:40 is exactly how i had pictured him belting those lads around at 70 years of age fully suited 😂 Fantastic!
He would have been something else in this modern era imagine he didn't have any protected gear in those days if he had protected gear I think he would have averaged 200 right now in our era just simply unbelievable
Bradman lost 6 years through his prime to the war. If he'd played through those years he would have averaged well over 100 for his career. If he'd played in our modern times with better pitches he would have averaged around 110. He wasn't a god of cricket, he was just a man. A man that was twice as good at batting than everyone else. He is statistically the greatest sportsman there ever was, or ever will be.
@@kerrymattrobertsharris6707 even with a curtailed career, he has 12 x 200+ scores. A feat yet to be surpassed. Sachin played 200 tests, couldn’t top him.
@@vedprakashshrivastava5642huh? They were still bowling close to 150kmph and were bowling close to off stump at a good length and also had much scarier bouncers because there were no helmets. The pitches would have been way harder to bat on too. With no covers the amount of cracks and moisture would move the ball of the pitch like crazy.
@@ayushjoshi8667 No need to get carried away in emotions... There was not a single bowler who had pace of even close to 145... Yes circumstances were much difficult.. Pitches were not so easy to score free runs...
You read and hear everyday GOAT this and GOAT that. Then, when you are really really serious and want to find the real GOAT of any sport, you bring out the name Sir Donald Bradman. He dominates statistically his sport by such a margin, that there is no one that that is within any reasonable distance from him. A genius. A phenomenon. A once in several lifetimes champion.
In speedway at the moment we have the Actual GOAT of our sport operating at the moment, he might get somewhere near the Don by the time he's finished. Bartosz Smaerlik. 5 world titles and hes not even 28 yet. He's got 5 more in him and that would put him nearly up there with the Don. As the next best is 6, he's does 5 in a row.
Even his running between wickets was elite. Not only did he always run the first run hard, but, in any video I ever saw of him, he NEVER turned blind - he would transfer the bat to his other hand so as to face the fielder when touching the bat on the ground to turn for the next run. These are things that were drummed into us as junior cricketers. But it shows that the greats also do the 'little things' - what we call the 'one percenters' - well. This 'real time' footage also shows how fast he really was between wickets, which fascinated me. My late father must have been a fan of the Don, because I vividly remember him telling me when I played junior cricket that 'if you don't hit the ball in the air, you can't get out 'caught''.
@@FoobasSports Thank you, he did. He played District cricket in his youth and opened the batting once playing for Collingwood 2nds with a very young Keith Stackpole, and later played VJCA top grade cricket at Highett where he opened the batting with 16yo Davenell Whatmore. I was the scorer at Highett (I was 11 or 12 years of age) and loved watching Dav destroy any short ball he received. Great days.
Growing up a Windies fan - With Sachin & Lara as my 2 all time Favs..... If they both say Bradman is the greatest with the respect - awe & admiration they have for him is MORE than enough for me to agree! Greatest Cricketer Bar None!!!!
2.4 lb bat likely. I reckon the power of his shots would have easily matched any modern power hitter, he relied purely on handspeed and timing. 7000 runs almost with only six 6's is proof!
backin the day bats were very thin you needed that kinda speed . controlled/compact power hitting form wrists at the last moment combined with precise timing. SHoulders/arms were less used unlike modern aussie technique much of the power hitting came from forearms and wrists.
I wrote to The Don (care of the South Australian Cricket Association) when I was a kid, asking for an autograph. That was mid 90s. He sent me back a photo and autograph. Also happy I kept the envelope, as it was his handwriting on it. He did it all. In cricket and in retirement. One of the few genuine heroes of the world. He’ll always be remembered and revered.
I remember in the 1990s that he [ Jeff Thomson ] gave an audio account on radio of his own last-wicket stand in a Test versus England, and that apparently was a winner with the radio audience, going by feedback at the time.
@@AmitKumar-nq7wkDon Bradman is from Bowral just south of Sydney and at that time many Australians sounded half British. We’ve lost some of our British accent as time has gone on.
Truly mythical! The greatest of all time who also replied to every fan letter that was ever sent to him. Super human bat speed and footwork. One of the reasons i've always been proud to be an Australian is because of the Don!
that late cut off larwood at 6:58 for his ton is pure class, wen u r playing that shot off pace ur seeing the ball v clearly almost taking the piss tbh, best player of all time no question no debate.. bradman an unbelievable talent.
Modern coaches would probably coach his "technical flaws" out of him. The way he held his bat, lifted it, played across the line - the very things that made him a genius should be the standard in batting. The Bradman Way should be how they coach young players. I remember watching a doco on him where he was asked why he played the cross wicket slog to cow corner so often and his answer was something along the lines of "well there are no fielders there so how else am I going to hit the ball there"
@@Pid75 The bowling he faced was mostly nothing like it would be in ensuing decades, bar bodyline, one bowler basically, Larwood, and Bradman proved himself a coward. Pitches were roads and tests were timeless. Almost all of the matches he made his colossal sized tons in would have been pointless high/mammoth scoring draws any time post 1970ish.
Of all the GOATs of every sport, this man is the GOAT of GOATs. Nobody else is statistically TWICE as better than the other greats. No easy runs, postage stamp grounds, no covered pitches, no Zimbabwe, Bangladesh or other less established teams to plunder.
Man 😂😂 India, West Indies, and NZ were at the same level as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Nonetheless, Don Bradman was the greatest cricketer, and I am not a fan of downgrading Don Bradman's records just because he played most of his matches in only two places. However, you are degrading great cricketers now.
My grandad watched him at Headingley in 1948, he said he was brilliant, a very small man, but batted super aggressively, and hit the ball in the air a lot…he did in the video if you watch it
I was interested in Bradman since the mid 70s. Form what I understand it was his mind more than anything. Other players have averaged a hundred over a year, but he did it over 20 years and 95 in first class cricket, that is the important figure.
Watching these clips in colour, two things thst stand out are his bat speed and running between wickets, turning 1s into 2s by rinning hard and not turning blind. His grip meant he didnt play with an open face, so rarely nicked it and kept the ball along the ground. There's the argument that most bowlers (with exceptions like Larwood) were pedestrian, but the uncovered pitches etc sort of negates that. I was always fascinated by the Eddie Gilbert story though.
That's what a lot of people forget, they compare modern batsmen and the shots they play with how Bradman batted. Even bats of the 1990's are vasty different to modern bats. I remember my first oiled bat in the 70s and let me tell you, there wasn't much of a sweet spot.
Great footage. Really shows his lightning wrists and footwork. Thommo’s anecdote underscores just how good the Don must have been - he wasn’t quick to praise anybody.
Sir Don, blessed with innate talent, was a hard task master. Single minded, tunnel visioned focus (intense concentration), highly competitive and a clever individual as he was very calculative in accumulating the runs and decimating the bowling attacks of the day. His body was in tune with the 'Flow state of the Mind'. A clear case of Mind over matter!! Cricket is lucky to have him right at the top. 🙏🇮🇳
Look at the power through the forearms. THats some unbelievable handspeed, all while keeping his shape. He would have absolutely demolished any attack today. He played on uncovered pitches, with no helmet. Uncovered pitches mean sticky wickets that seam and have unpredictable bounce. He averaged mid 50's during the Bodyline series, facing Harold Larwood who was measured at 155 kph, with NO helmet, and facing bowling that was trying to injure him. This man was the closest thing to having a supernatural ability. My guess is, he would have averaged easily 150+ had he played today. Easy peasy.
He would have struggled against the Windies of the 70s and 80s. His short stature would have weighed against him versus Holding, Garner, Walsh and Ambrose. And besides he had a weakness against accurate right hand leg spin and left hand orthodox spin.
As the game has moved forward, more test cricket was played…. He’d have played more cricket and properly evolved and adapted to being peppered with short pitched bowling
The fast bowling and it's variations evolved. Late swing, reverse swing evolved after his retirement. He is greatest but would have had 60+ average in modern cricket.
@@networks24x73 that would be believable if the red ball has changed since when he played. I believe they used the Duke’s ball during his time. This ball has not changed at all for the 200 odd years of the companies history . So given that the ball is the same I don’t see how swing is going to be any different in the modern era in terms of difficulty to play . I would in fact argue in the opposite , he played on sticky uncovered wickets. This means excessive seam movement and unpredictable bounce. If a modern test match was to be played on such a surface, I doubt if it last two days.
Steve Waugh might have one of the the closest techniques to bradman of more recent great players. His stance, the quick hands and the way he cuts and breaks his wrists when driving.
His technique looks to be a lot closer to Sehwag's (with a much better footwork, of course) than S. Waugh. I'm just blown away by the incredible bat-speed, use of wrists and his willingness to hit across the line. Just wow!
He must have been able to assess a pitch extremely quickly and with great accuracy to be so consistent, and the level of concentration is almost unbelievable.
Brilliant video with the colourization breathing fresh life into the Don's technique. The hand-eye co-ordination and power from his timing is amazing. And then you have those deft back cuts and glances. The thing we forget about Bradman is that he was a quick scorer, without having to resort to Bazball-like tactics - he always kept the scoreboard ticking over. And he did that not just at Test level, but even moreso in the Sheffield Shield and first-class tour games. He wouldn't have succeeded in the modern game not because of quicker fast-bowling, different rules, etc, but more to do with the quantity of cricket. He suffered from a muscle-bone condition called fibrositis through much of his career, which restricted his effectiveness at times. The shorter seasons and reduced itineraries compared to these days prolonged his career. That said, with modern medical treatment and technology, maybe his ailment would not have been such a hindrance and could have been even a more prolific batsman. That's a scary thing to consider.
But don't forget, modern days have modern medicine, there are far better treatments available for fibromyalgia (as it's known today) and he could have potentially played for a longer period and more frequently. And as I said to someone else, he adapted to the game better thatn anyone and that's what made him great and it would have translated to the modern game.
The greatest cricketer of all time, full stop. No one ever better, no one even close. He would have been the greatest, no matter the era. These days they play on flat tracks designed for batsmen, and the best averages these days, after a full career, are at best 60. He played on uncovered pitches, the speed of the bowling was the same, and he had little protection. The greatest. No doubt. And whatever happens in the future if cricket, he will remain so.
The GOAT of all goats. Statistically he surpasses everyone in any sport!!! He used to train himself by hitting a golf ball against a corrugated water tank standing like a metre or two away...WTF... Just amazing!
80 innings from 52 Tests, including 10 not-outs, for 70 times dismissed for 6,996 runs. So that he was 4 runs lacking to close on an average of 100. So, actually, had he not come out to bat for his last innings then he'd have averaged a tick over 100. So, actually, he did average 100, but only for as much as at least 69 innings, but not also for 70 innings.
Hearing Thommo about the Don No gear, not played for 30 years but still whacked the ball. Look at their gloves, pads, outfield, the uncovered pitch. You have to doff your hat to all those who played in that Era. But amongst them all was one "Untouchable". Till date, he is just that. A sporting genius. Once a Don always the Don.
A lot of commenters speculating he would have struggled against high pace have clearly never faced such pacce themselves. If they had, they would know that 130 - 145 kph when it doesnt swing or seam isnt really that much harder to face, let alone score off. 130 kph with excessive seam movement would be nigh impossible to score off, than 150 kph with no swing or seam(ie most IPL matches). Some much needed context here. So yes, The Don would have had no problems against modern bowlers ;-) Anyone with even passing knowledge of the game from playing it, will know this.
He scored a Century against Bodyline Bowling against Harold Larwood and co on tricky wickets.... Look how modern day batsman collapse 36/10 or recent one against NZ . And since bodyline has been banned , the question is ....could modern day batsman play Bodyline on those wickets?
Facing bowlers just as fast as todays, on dodgy pitches, with no helmet, no chest pads, virtually unpadded, gloves, and it looks like no thigh pads. And the boxes were completely inadequate. Those boys had some courage.
just the footage is pure gold to see all those playing early days of cricket , current generation can laugh about it as I can see in the comments but there will be a day when our future generations will laugh at us
Absolute phenomenon. Would have been far and away the best ever in any era. I would guess a average of around 80 ish in current era. Leagues above everyone, best ever by far.
Thanx for the vid! He is the greatest, by far! A very interesting technique, able to whip the ball to all parts, looks like he didnt play with a straight bat too often, and hit the ball with power, fast hands, impeccable footwork and extremely fast between the wickets
Incase people weren't believers after seeing the footage alone, Tommo's story just leaves no doubt that Sir Donald Bradman is the greatest Batsmen in history. I learnt he was a great fieldsman too, I perhaps could've added some footage of his fielding too.
Actually this diminutive genius brandishes the willow cricket bat like a tennis racquet, which is much lighter. He wields his bat like a sword. Incredible! His record will never be broken.
A player with this dedication and concentration at the time when some countries didn't even play cricket. That was a magical time and would never come back. No one can ever be like him. The GREATEST ever.
A human could run the 100m in six seconds and it would not compare in any way to Bradman's achievements. He performed twice as good as any other human in history every single time he batted, across decades. It is truly extraordinary.
He was an absolute phenomenon, no doubt about that. No helmet and uncovered pitches, 99.94 average. Phew! The only thing is that he never played in the subcontinent. Probably would have dominated there too.
Supernatural cricketer.how did he do it ?.no doubt an amazing cricketer who would have been effective today as well as then.why?.he only hit 6x6’s in his whole test career,he always played shots down so no chance of catching him out,about 57% of all wickets are caught out so eliminating going for 6’s and a rock solid technique in attack and defence made him the consummate all round batting cricketer ,TOTAL LEGEND ❤
He would have cooked today's bowlers. No helmet, same old ball being used for 5 straight days, such thinner willow as compared to today's bigger ones, and no dumbass rules such as power plays or free hits, still managed to outperform entire world. Truly a legend.
Very few sports where there is a clear, unequivocal, difficult to argue with answer to the question “who is / was the best to ever do it?” Usain Bolt. Wayne Gretzky. Eddy Merckx. Teddy Riner. I struggle to think of many more. For cricket, it’s Bradman. And anybody who argues otherwise is misguided. Cricket is a game of statistics and measurables. His FC batting average is 24% higher than the next best. His Test batting average is 37% higher than the next best. He scored a Test Match hundred in 36% of his innings (e.g. Kallis 16%, Sangakkara 16%, Tendulkar 15%). You can argue all you like about fielding standards, bowling speeds, computer analysis, and comparisons across eras. In the entire 136 year history of Test cricket, approximately 3200 men have played Test Matches, against all types of bowling, with varying standards of fielding, on covered pitches and uncovered pitches, with DRS, without DRS, front foot no balls, back foot no balls, different LBW laws, short boundaries, long boundaries, and Bradman (excluding single innings anomalies like Andy Guanteaume) is the only batsman in all that time, across all of those matches, to average over 62. Put it this way: For his Test career, Bradman’s average innings score was higher than the combined Test averages of Sachin Tendulkar and Alastair Cook.
Can you beleive that Southend Council demolished the changing room where this genius prepared to play when the Aussies played in Southchurch Park back in the day. It should have been renovated with a huge plaque honouring the great man. Can you imagine how wonderful that would have been for the local cricketers?
He honed his skills batting with a stump (much narrower than a bat) - hitting a golf ball which rebounded off a waterbutt made of corrugated iron - so inconsistent bounce. You do that day in, day out for a few years, then batting on pitches - uncovered or otherwise, with a bat and cricket ball will seem easy.
I've sometimes thought to myself, he played 52 tests, if he played 100 or more as many players do these days, would he still have maintained such a high average? Then you look at his entire first class career - 234 matches, just over 28,000 runs, averaging 95. Simply phenomenal.
His batting average in the Australian domestic first-class competition, the Sheffield Shield, was in the high 90s, maybe something like 97 or 98 [ without looking it up ], that being, not dissimilar to his Test average. I thus do not know that anyone has ever challenged his batting average at State level, never mind at Test level.
@@jonglewongle3438 Bradman: 110.19 (96 innings) Barry Richards: 100.09 (12 innings) The third-highest average belongs to Bill Ponsford at 83.27 over 70 innings
Crazy to think he missed his prime years due to the war. His current records are insurmountable as they are now but imagine him playing those years he missed and how many runs he would of had
was ahead of his time thats for sure and its great to see how far the game has come and improved since those days. Imagine Bradman with the training and facilities we have today. If he had those skills today hed be playing 3rd grade at your local cricket club if hes lucky
Now he is an elite of sports. Let's say he faced 80-85+ mph deliveries at most. But on those pitches,bats, grounds, gear and still dominating them. When others would succumb to 65mph.
My Australian greatest test team. M. Hayden J. Langer R. Pointing D. Bradman S.Smith A. Border A. Gilchrist P. Cummins S. Warne D. Lillie G. McGrath 12th man S. Waugh
Just hard to believe isn't it? He must have been some type of alien being, just a super human in what he could produce. I doubt the world will see his like again.
It is learnt that a wicket which was used instead of a bat and in such a way he used to go often to his practice , just setting eyes with ball movement , how terrific was his idea . I do not know whether it was a fact or not . He was no doubt a batsman with over talent .
His shots look like he is playing a different sport compared to modern batsman. The follow through of all his shots is like a golf swing, it must have imparted incredible power to the ball, especially given his timing. Thats why he thought any bat above 2.6 lbs is too heavy. Nowadays a "light" bat is considered to be 2.8 lbs at the very least. The Don didnt need "big edges" like the rest of em 😄
" this kid plays the shots as same as I used to play" ..... Yes, Sachin Tendulkar is the only batsman to come close to the legendary Sir. Donald Bradman
Anybody else see a lot of Steve Smith in him? Or vice versa obviously. The stillness at the crease. Those wristy, forearm rotations and leg side flicks.
He must've had otherworldly concentration. Obviously his technique was exceptional, but so many dismissals are due to a lapse in concentration, or a build-up in frustration. His mind must've been unlike any other in cricket.
And he never held his bat upright near to his waist level during his batting stance while facing delivery....that was a true cricket batsmanship and not baseball batting...
The speed of his hands and footwork was simply astonishing. He had very quick hands but also very deft,the stroke at 7:00 off Larwood so indicative.Almost like playing a spinner. Like a top guitar player,the tone is in the fingers,the touch that these top batsmen have is on another level. Such small bats ,big outfields as well.
Would Sir Donald Bradman still be the God of Cricket in the modern day?
The Don! Greatest to ever do it! Amazing story towards the end with Jeff Thomson!
The photo @ 9:40 is exactly how i had pictured him belting those lads around at 70 years of age fully suited 😂 Fantastic!
Can you make a same video on sir George headley?
YES
Of course
He would have been something else in this modern era imagine he didn't have any protected gear in those days if he had protected gear I think he would have averaged 200 right now in our era just simply unbelievable
To be able to watch this footage with such ease is truly a privilege of the modern era.
Bradman lost 6 years through his prime to the war. If he'd played through those years he would have averaged well over 100 for his career. If he'd played in our modern times with better pitches he would have averaged around 110. He wasn't a god of cricket, he was just a man. A man that was twice as good at batting than everyone else. He is statistically the greatest sportsman there ever was, or ever will be.
@@kerrymattrobertsharris6707 even with a curtailed career, he has 12 x 200+ scores. A feat yet to be surpassed. Sachin played 200 tests, couldn’t top him.
@@mukundr1204that was the era of bowling without skills
@@vedprakashshrivastava5642 stupid comment, by that logic every batter in that era would have a record like Bradman, yet none of them even came close
@@vedprakashshrivastava5642huh? They were still bowling close to 150kmph and were bowling close to off stump at a good length and also had much scarier bouncers because there were no helmets. The pitches would have been way harder to bat on too. With no covers the amount of cracks and moisture would move the ball of the pitch like crazy.
@@ayushjoshi8667 No need to get carried away in emotions... There was not a single bowler who had pace of even close to 145... Yes circumstances were much difficult.. Pitches were not so easy to score free runs...
You read and hear everyday GOAT this and GOAT that. Then, when you are really really serious and want to find the real GOAT of any sport, you bring out the name Sir Donald Bradman. He dominates statistically his sport by such a margin, that there is no one that that is within any reasonable distance from him. A genius. A phenomenon. A once in several lifetimes champion.
If you consider cue games as actual sports (which is a contentious proposition), Walter Lindrum dominated Billiards to a similar degree.
And Eddie Merckx (until Tadej Pogacar).
In speedway at the moment we have the Actual GOAT of our sport operating at the moment, he might get somewhere near the Don by the time he's finished. Bartosz Smaerlik. 5 world titles and hes not even 28 yet. He's got 5 more in him and that would put him nearly up there with the Don. As the next best is 6, he's does 5 in a row.
Only against a few teams on a few pitches.
The GOAT is greatest of ALL time
Even his running between wickets was elite. Not only did he always run the first run hard, but, in any video I ever saw of him, he NEVER turned blind - he would transfer the bat to his other hand so as to face the fielder when touching the bat on the ground to turn for the next run. These are things that were drummed into us as junior cricketers. But it shows that the greats also do the 'little things' - what we call the 'one percenters' - well. This 'real time' footage also shows how fast he really was between wickets, which fascinated me. My late father must have been a fan of the Don, because I vividly remember him telling me when I played junior cricket that 'if you don't hit the ball in the air, you can't get out 'caught''.
@@aussierhino471 Absolutely. It's amazing advice, isn't it? So profound. Your old man must've had a great cricket mind.
@@FoobasSports Thank you, he did. He played District cricket in his youth and opened the batting once playing for Collingwood 2nds with a very young Keith Stackpole, and later played VJCA top grade cricket at Highett where he opened the batting with 16yo Davenell Whatmore. I was the scorer at Highett (I was 11 or 12 years of age) and loved watching Dav destroy any short ball he received. Great days.
Growing up a Windies fan - With Sachin & Lara as my 2 all time Favs.....
If they both say Bradman is the greatest with the respect - awe & admiration they have for him is MORE than enough for me to agree!
Greatest Cricketer Bar None!!!!
Amen.
@@onztufan828 no one cares trolll
@@onztufan828 because they give respect to their senior batsman. That's all. But broadman is not the best
@@nonamewillbegiven1217 you cared enough to comment, clown
@@ajinsal9697 nope, they say it because they understand cricket. Bradman is an undisputed GOAT of test cricket batting.
His bat speed to play the shots is phenomenal.
2.4 lb bat likely. I reckon the power of his shots would have easily matched any modern power hitter, he relied purely on handspeed and timing. 7000 runs almost with only six 6's is proof!
backin the day bats were very thin you needed that kinda speed . controlled/compact power hitting form wrists at the last moment combined with precise timing. SHoulders/arms were less used unlike modern aussie technique much of the power hitting came from forearms and wrists.
Indeed. And it comes when you have ample time to play the stroke. All about timing.
Thanks all, very informative replies and I am aware of such things as lightweight bats of the era, more direct wrist-controlled power etc.
@@mukundr1204 He scored a few 6's in a match against England.
I wrote to The Don (care of the South Australian Cricket Association) when I was a kid, asking for an autograph. That was mid 90s. He sent me back a photo and autograph. Also happy I kept the envelope, as it was his handwriting on it. He did it all. In cricket and in retirement. One of the few genuine heroes of the world. He’ll always be remembered and revered.
@@andrewmackinnon8252 Amazing!
How can u not listen to Jeff Thomason’s recollections and not smile! 😊👌
I remember in the 1990s that he [ Jeff Thomson ] gave an audio account on radio of his own last-wicket stand in a Test versus England, and that apparently was a winner with the radio audience, going by feedback at the time.
Any interview with Thommo is good value
Aussie accent is hard to pick sometimes. Couldn't understand what he was saying. Must have been a fun story
@@AmitKumar-nq7wkDon Bradman is from Bowral just south of Sydney and at that time many Australians sounded half British. We’ve lost some of our British accent as time has gone on.
Truly mythical! The greatest of all time who also replied to every fan letter that was ever sent to him. Super human bat speed and footwork. One of the reasons i've always been proud to be an Australian is because of the Don!
that late cut off larwood at 6:58 for his ton is pure class, wen u r playing that shot off pace ur seeing the ball v clearly almost taking the piss tbh, best player of all time no question no debate.. bradman an unbelievable talent.
Modern coaches would probably coach his "technical flaws" out of him. The way he held his bat, lifted it, played across the line - the very things that made him a genius should be the standard in batting. The Bradman Way should be how they coach young players. I remember watching a doco on him where he was asked why he played the cross wicket slog to cow corner so often and his answer was something along the lines of "well there are no fielders there so how else am I going to hit the ball there"
I thinking the exact same thing. Some of his batting actually would not look out of place in modern T20s, especially that shot that you refer to.
I lot of people tried to correct his technique back then as well but he understood his game so would listen politely then continue on as he had.
To be that far ahead of the next best person in elite sport is unfathomable.
Only, he isn't.
@ Please explain?? He averages 99, the next best is just over 60.
@@Pid75 It doesn't go on average. Averages are bloated by not outs and superfluous colossal scores in meaningless situations. Consider it explained.
@ ok, so what are you basing it on? I don’t have the stats but I suspect his centuries/innings ratio is much better than everyone else too.
@@Pid75 The bowling he faced was mostly nothing like it would be in ensuing decades, bar bodyline, one bowler basically, Larwood, and Bradman proved himself a coward. Pitches were roads and tests were timeless. Almost all of the matches he made his colossal sized tons in would have been pointless high/mammoth scoring draws any time post 1970ish.
Of all the GOATs of every sport, this man is the GOAT of GOATs. Nobody else is statistically TWICE as better than the other greats.
No easy runs, postage stamp grounds, no covered pitches, no Zimbabwe, Bangladesh or other less established teams to plunder.
Man 😂😂 India, West Indies, and NZ were at the same level as Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Nonetheless, Don Bradman was the greatest cricketer, and I am not a fan of downgrading Don Bradman's records just because he played most of his matches in only two places. However, you are degrading great cricketers now.
My grandfather watched him bat a few times. He fondly remembered how Bradman would always hit the ball along the ground.
My grandad watched him at Headingley in 1948, he said he was brilliant, a very small man, but batted super aggressively, and hit the ball in the air a lot…he did in the video if you watch it
Love the enhanced video. Hopefully technology will only get better and we'll get a real sense of what it was like watching some of past legends play
I was interested in Bradman since the mid 70s. Form what I understand it was his mind more than anything. Other players have averaged a hundred over a year, but he did it over 20 years and 95 in first class cricket, that is the important figure.
It was also the insane hand eye coordination.
Watching these clips in colour, two things thst stand out are his bat speed and running between wickets, turning 1s into 2s by rinning hard and not turning blind. His grip meant he didnt play with an open face, so rarely nicked it and kept the ball along the ground. There's the argument that most bowlers (with exceptions like Larwood) were pedestrian, but the uncovered pitches etc sort of negates that. I was always fascinated by the Eddie Gilbert story though.
Apparently he was faster than Larwood according to the Don.. so much for not being good bowlers around.
I think Larwood was the only bowler who bothered Bradman
Its the best picture quality I have seen of Bradman
3rd Test at Leeds Australia-556/all out
Overs-174
1:-DG Bradman 334 Runs in 448 Balls 46 Fours
2:-Bill Woodfull (c) 50 Runs in 191 Balls
3:-Alan Falconer Kippax 77 Runs in 182 Balls
4:-Stanley Joseph McCabe 30 Runs in 50 Balls
English Bowling:-
1-Harold Robert Larwood Overs-34 Runs-139 Wickets-1
2-Maurice William Fred Tate Overs-40 Runs-124 Wickets-6
3-George Arthur Geary Overs-35 Runs-95 Wickets-1
4-Richard Knowles Dickson Tyldesley Overs-33 Runs-104 Wickets-1
5-Maurice Edward Leyland Overs-11 Runs-44 Wickets-0
6-Walter Reginald Hammond Overs-17 Runs-46 Wickets-1
7-John Berry Hobbs Overs-04 Runs-14 Wickets:-0
Averaged 99 with a fence pailing as a bat too… nothing like the bats that resemble bazookas today!
That's what a lot of people forget, they compare modern batsmen and the shots they play with how Bradman batted. Even bats of the 1990's are vasty different to modern bats. I remember my first oiled bat in the 70s and let me tell you, there wasn't much of a sweet spot.
Imagine this man with one of those tree trunk of a modern bat. The carnage wouldve been unreal
If we are going to round numbers up or down he averaged 100. (99.96). If he averaged 65.96 we’d say he averaged 66 every time.
@@jonrichardson8461 It was 99.94, but point taken, it's a smidge off 100, it should be rounded up, lol.
@@hasuramapa4639everyone played with thin bats still avged higher on avg
Great footage. Really shows his lightning wrists and footwork. Thommo’s anecdote underscores just how good the Don must have been - he wasn’t quick to praise anybody.
It's probably the best anecdote of any athlete I've ever heard.
Sir Don, blessed with innate talent, was a hard task master. Single minded, tunnel visioned focus (intense concentration), highly competitive and a clever individual as he was very calculative in accumulating the runs and decimating the bowling attacks of the day. His body was in tune with the 'Flow state of the Mind'. A clear case of Mind over matter!! Cricket is lucky to have him right at the top. 🙏🇮🇳
Look at the power through the forearms. THats some unbelievable handspeed, all while keeping his shape. He would have absolutely demolished any attack today. He played on uncovered pitches, with no helmet. Uncovered pitches mean sticky wickets that seam and have unpredictable bounce. He averaged mid 50's during the Bodyline series, facing Harold Larwood who was measured at 155 kph, with NO helmet, and facing bowling that was trying to injure him.
This man was the closest thing to having a supernatural ability. My guess is, he would have averaged easily 150+ had he played today. Easy peasy.
He would have struggled against the Windies of the 70s and 80s. His short stature would have weighed against him versus Holding, Garner, Walsh and Ambrose. And besides he had a weakness against accurate right hand leg spin and left hand orthodox spin.
@@Steve-u7uSunil Gavaskar did just fine against said bowlers and he was shorter than Bradman, on the basis of that, I disagree sir.
As the game has moved forward, more test cricket was played…. He’d have played more cricket and properly evolved and adapted to being peppered with short pitched bowling
The fast bowling and it's variations evolved. Late swing, reverse swing evolved after his retirement. He is greatest but would have had 60+ average in modern cricket.
@@networks24x73 that would be believable if the red ball has changed since when he played. I believe they used the Duke’s ball during his time.
This ball has not changed at all for the 200 odd years of the companies history .
So given that the ball is the same I don’t see how swing is going to be any different in the modern era in terms of difficulty to play .
I would in fact argue in the opposite , he played on sticky uncovered wickets. This means excessive seam movement and unpredictable bounce.
If a modern test match was to be played on such a surface, I doubt if it last two days.
Steve Waugh might have one of the the closest techniques to bradman of more recent great players. His stance, the quick hands and the way he cuts and breaks his wrists when driving.
His technique looks to be a lot closer to Sehwag's (with a much better footwork, of course) than S. Waugh. I'm just blown away by the incredible bat-speed, use of wrists and his willingness to hit across the line. Just wow!
He must have been able to assess a pitch extremely quickly and with great accuracy to be so consistent, and the level of concentration is almost unbelievable.
Brilliant video with the colourization breathing fresh life into the Don's technique. The hand-eye co-ordination and power from his timing is amazing. And then you have those deft back cuts and glances. The thing we forget about Bradman is that he was a quick scorer, without having to resort to Bazball-like tactics - he always kept the scoreboard ticking over. And he did that not just at Test level, but even moreso in the Sheffield Shield and first-class tour games. He wouldn't have succeeded in the modern game not because of quicker fast-bowling, different rules, etc, but more to do with the quantity of cricket. He suffered from a muscle-bone condition called fibrositis through much of his career, which restricted his effectiveness at times. The shorter seasons and reduced itineraries compared to these days prolonged his career. That said, with modern medical treatment and technology, maybe his ailment would not have been such a hindrance and could have been even a more prolific batsman. That's a scary thing to consider.
But don't forget, modern days have modern medicine, there are far better treatments available for fibromyalgia (as it's known today) and he could have potentially played for a longer period and more frequently. And as I said to someone else, he adapted to the game better thatn anyone and that's what made him great and it would have translated to the modern game.
The greatest cricketer of all time, full stop. No one ever better, no one even close. He would have been the greatest, no matter the era. These days they play on flat tracks designed for batsmen, and the best averages these days, after a full career, are at best 60. He played on uncovered pitches, the speed of the bowling was the same, and he had little protection. The greatest. No doubt. And whatever happens in the future if cricket, he will remain so.
The GOAT of all goats. Statistically he surpasses everyone in any sport!!! He used to train himself by hitting a golf ball against a corrugated water tank standing like a metre or two away...WTF... Just amazing!
80 innings from 52 Tests, including 10 not-outs, for 70 times dismissed for 6,996 runs. So that he was 4 runs lacking to close on an average of 100. So, actually, had he not come out to bat for his last innings then he'd have averaged a tick over 100. So, actually, he did average 100, but only for as much as at least 69 innings, but not also for 70 innings.
What GREAT Picture quality and Background Music and Commentary and that aura !!! Instantly transported me to Bradman's time
I like how the Don would hook and pull the ball from well outside off stump. That was a no no when I was learning the game.
Hearing Thommo about the Don
No gear, not played for 30 years but still whacked the ball.
Look at their gloves, pads, outfield, the uncovered pitch.
You have to doff your hat to all those who played in that Era. But amongst them all was one "Untouchable". Till date, he is just that.
A sporting genius.
Once a Don always the Don.
Exactly...the last of the classic batman was Sunil Gavaskar (i think). Remember, who faced the four pacer of West Indies in 1970-80, without helmet.
@@potvalor1Richie Richardson was batting in the 1990s with a floppy hat. Batting without a helmet teaches you proper technique.
@@almac9203 correct. I 👍correct
Seldom, if ever, in any sport, is there anyone so completely undisputed as the greatest ever, as is Sir Donald in cricket.
The greatest batsman of all time.
The most dominant player any sport has ever seen. Sir Donald Bradman.
A lot of commenters speculating he would have struggled against high pace have clearly never faced such pacce themselves. If they had, they would know that 130 - 145 kph when it doesnt swing or seam isnt really that much harder to face, let alone score off. 130 kph with excessive seam movement would be nigh impossible to score off, than 150 kph with no swing or seam(ie most IPL matches). Some much needed context here. So yes, The Don would have had no problems against modern bowlers ;-) Anyone with even passing knowledge of the game from playing it, will know this.
He scored a Century against Bodyline Bowling against Harold Larwood and co on tricky wickets.... Look how modern day batsman collapse 36/10 or recent one against NZ . And since bodyline has been banned , the question is ....could modern day batsman play Bodyline on those wickets?
Most importantly look at bat... nowadays with thick edges you can score even if you mistime back in that time it was quite difficult to middle it too
How about playing without helmet etc..i think most of the cricketers would die in the field.
Sachin Tendulkar: Sir Donald Bradman God of Cricket ❤️🏏🙏
Astonishing footage.
Facing bowlers just as fast as todays, on dodgy pitches, with no helmet, no chest pads, virtually unpadded, gloves, and it looks like no thigh pads.
And the boxes were completely inadequate.
Those boys had some courage.
just the footage is pure gold to see all those playing early days of cricket , current generation can laugh about it as I can see in the comments but there will be a day when our future generations will laugh at us
Absolute phenomenon. Would have been far and away the best ever in any era. I would guess a average of around 80 ish in current era. Leagues above everyone, best ever by far.
That was actually amazing to watch this clear footage of Sir Don!
Thanx for the vid! He is the greatest, by far! A very interesting technique, able to whip the ball to all parts, looks like he didnt play with a straight bat too often, and hit the ball with power, fast hands, impeccable footwork and extremely fast between the wickets
@@swiftay12 🙏🙏🙏
Brilliant video of the greatest, great story from Tommo to finish.
Incase people weren't believers after seeing the footage alone, Tommo's story just leaves no doubt that Sir Donald Bradman is the greatest Batsmen in history. I learnt he was a great fieldsman too, I perhaps could've added some footage of his fielding too.
@@FoobasSports Greatest batsman.....nonsense, no such thing!
@@Steve-u7u The data would suggest otherwise. Everything else is just opinion.
Actually this diminutive genius brandishes the willow cricket bat like a tennis racquet, which is much lighter. He wields his bat like a sword. Incredible! His record will never be broken.
thanks for the wonderful work you have done on this video...
@@sagirparkar4115 Thank you🙏🙏🙏
Thank you for making this…gave me a novel way of appreciating DB even more!
🙏🙏🙏
A player with this dedication and concentration at the time when some countries didn't even play cricket. That was a magical time and would never come back. No one can ever be like him. The GREATEST ever.
Uncovered pictures, narrow bats and un roped boundaries yet he still managed to average nearly 100 .amazing!
My Dad saw Bradman play in 1948, he said the only batsman who was comparable in the modern era was Tendulkar.
A human could run the 100m in six seconds and it would not compare in any way to Bradman's achievements. He performed twice as good as any other human in history every single time he batted, across decades. It is truly extraordinary.
No one cant compare to him in the history of cricket .he is the greatest batsman of alltime.
Simply a legend forever, no other words.
Thank you for this video. Absolutely magnificent and befitting of the greatest there’ll ever be himself.
Thank you 🙏🙏🙏
From what I'm looking at he's playing shots that shouldn't be possible. He deserved the last 4 runs for the 100 average 👏👏👏
The cricket gods weren't going to allow that.
@@alexwilliams4264 gotta admit there's a bit of poetry about it. Probably a better legend this way✌
@@jayannan9897 It kept him in the realm of humanity.
He was an absolute phenomenon, no doubt about that. No helmet and uncovered pitches, 99.94 average. Phew! The only thing is that he never played in the subcontinent. Probably would have dominated there too.
i think he averaged 180 or so against india.
@@mitch-r7v yes, India travelled to Australia for those matches.
Very impressed with this footage
Fabulous info from thommo re 1978 experience of bradman
thought he played pinball cricket but enhanced videos shows he played some hell of a cricket
Supernatural cricketer.how did he do it ?.no doubt an amazing cricketer who would have been effective today as well as then.why?.he only hit 6x6’s in his whole test career,he always played shots down so no chance of catching him out,about 57% of all wickets are caught out so eliminating going for 6’s and a rock solid technique in attack and defence made him the consummate all round batting cricketer ,TOTAL LEGEND ❤
He would have cooked today's bowlers. No helmet, same old ball being used for 5 straight days, such thinner willow as compared to today's bigger ones, and no dumbass rules such as power plays or free hits, still managed to outperform entire world. Truly a legend.
Fantastic vlog. Has anyone dominated their chosen sport as much as The Don? Won't be another one like him.
Very few sports where there is a clear, unequivocal, difficult to argue with answer to the question “who is / was the best to ever do it?”
Usain Bolt. Wayne Gretzky. Eddy Merckx. Teddy Riner. I struggle to think of many more.
For cricket, it’s Bradman. And anybody who argues otherwise is misguided.
Cricket is a game of statistics and measurables. His FC batting average is 24% higher than the next best. His Test batting average is 37% higher than the next best. He scored a Test Match hundred in 36% of his innings (e.g. Kallis 16%, Sangakkara 16%, Tendulkar 15%).
You can argue all you like about fielding standards, bowling speeds, computer analysis, and comparisons across eras. In the entire 136 year history of Test cricket, approximately 3200 men have played Test Matches, against all types of bowling, with varying standards of fielding, on covered pitches and uncovered pitches, with DRS, without DRS, front foot no balls, back foot no balls, different LBW laws, short boundaries, long boundaries, and Bradman (excluding single innings anomalies like Andy Guanteaume) is the only batsman in all that time, across all of those matches, to average over 62.
Put it this way: For his Test career, Bradman’s average innings score was higher than the combined Test averages of Sachin Tendulkar and Alastair Cook.
Can you beleive that Southend Council demolished the changing room where this genius prepared to play when the Aussies played in Southchurch Park back in the day. It should have been renovated with a huge plaque honouring the great man. Can you imagine how wonderful that would have been for the local cricketers?
Absolutely. What a terrible thing to do.
Well said Thomo, great respect.
Looking at him ,I am mesmerised by his footwork,no half measures.Today’s players so often just seem half committed,no footwork
He honed his skills batting with a stump (much narrower than a bat) - hitting a golf ball which rebounded off a waterbutt made of corrugated iron - so inconsistent bounce. You do that day in, day out for a few years, then batting on pitches - uncovered or otherwise, with a bat and cricket ball will seem easy.
Amazing to Watch, Thankyou.
@@vibhuvikramaditya4576 Much appreciated 🙏🙏🙏
I've sometimes thought to myself, he played 52 tests, if he played 100 or more as many players do these days, would he still have maintained such a high average? Then you look at his entire first class career - 234 matches, just over 28,000 runs, averaging 95. Simply phenomenal.
His batting average in the Australian domestic first-class competition, the Sheffield Shield, was in the high 90s, maybe something like 97 or 98 [ without looking it up ], that being, not dissimilar to his Test average. I thus do not know that anyone has ever challenged his batting average at State level, never mind at Test level.
@@jonglewongle3438 Without looking it up I believe it was 110.12 for Sheffield Shield. Actually higher than his test batting average.
@@jonglewongle3438 Sorry, slightly wrong 110.19 run average in Sheffield Shield
@@jonglewongle3438 Bradman: 110.19 (96 innings)
Barry Richards: 100.09 (12 innings) The third-highest average belongs to Bill Ponsford at 83.27 over 70 innings
Crazy to think he missed his prime years due to the war. His current records are insurmountable as they are now but imagine him playing those years he missed and how many runs he would of had
was ahead of his time thats for sure and its great to see how far the game has come and improved since those days. Imagine Bradman with the training and facilities we have today. If he had those skills today hed be playing 3rd grade at your local cricket club if hes lucky
Great piece about truly the greatest
@@chriseyles204 Much appreciated 🙏🙏🙏
Thanks for doing this video.. much appreciated!
@@beachhuntersouthafrica 🙏🙏🙏
Now he is an elite of sports.
Let's say he faced 80-85+ mph deliveries at most. But on those pitches,bats, grounds, gear and still dominating them. When others would succumb to 65mph.
My Australian greatest test team.
M. Hayden
J. Langer
R. Pointing
D. Bradman
S.Smith
A. Border
A. Gilchrist
P. Cummins
S. Warne
D. Lillie
G. McGrath
12th man S. Waugh
And I'll back em against the greatest world team
The 3 sporting greats of the world are Muhammad Ali- Phar Lap and Sir Donald Bradman,is DON IS GOOD
His technique looks a little clumsy by modern standards, but his balance, bat-speed and stillness at the point of contact are truly impeccable
Fantastic piece
Thank you 🙏🙏🙏
Just hard to believe isn't it? He must have been some type of alien being, just a super human in what he could produce. I doubt the world will see his like again.
It is learnt that a wicket which was used instead of a bat and in such a way he used to go often to his practice , just setting eyes with ball movement , how terrific was his idea . I do not know whether it was a fact or not . He was no doubt a batsman with over talent .
His shots look like he is playing a different sport compared to modern batsman. The follow through of all his shots is like a golf swing, it must have imparted incredible power to the ball, especially given his timing. Thats why he thought any bat above 2.6 lbs is too heavy. Nowadays a "light" bat is considered to be 2.8 lbs at the very least. The Don didnt need "big edges" like the rest of em 😄
High backswing too like Brian Lara.
Bradman used to practice with a golf like stick as a kid
" this kid plays the shots as same as I used to play" ..... Yes, Sachin Tendulkar is the only batsman to come close to the legendary Sir. Donald Bradman
😂😂
Anybody else see a lot of Steve Smith in him? Or vice versa obviously. The stillness at the crease. Those wristy, forearm rotations and leg side flicks.
Amazing video. Thank you.
@@dangar3256 Much appreciated 🙏🙏🦶
He wasn't the only great player in that Australian test team but he was the master.
He could never get out the great don bradman.... legend lives long
Some really unseen videos of Don seen here . thanks for the upload!
You're welcome 🙏
His footwork was like ballet
He must've had otherworldly concentration. Obviously his technique was exceptional, but so many dismissals are due to a lapse in concentration, or a build-up in frustration. His mind must've been unlike any other in cricket.
And he never held his bat upright near to his waist level during his batting stance while facing delivery....that was a true cricket batsmanship and not baseball batting...
Looks great, thanks for putting this together. Nice choice of music too
Thank you very much 🙏🙏🙏
Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar are legendary players,
Two of my all time favourites. Even though I'm an Aussie, Sachin was my favourite batter growing up and he inspired me the most.
Both great players, but putting anybody into the same bracket as the Don is unfair on the Don 🙂
There can be lots of legend, but don't of legend is only one that's Bradman
@@shaukatkhan277Sachin is a legend- The Don is THE legend
Tendulkar was greatest in his own right
In this video, Sachin himself called Sir Donald Brandman, the God of Cricket.
No he did not. Stop making stories😂😂
@@spawn11 what was so funny in that??
The story lies in the video, so if u commented without watching the video, that's not my fault
@@syedhammadahmedzaidi3089 there's no video. Stop making stories
@@spawn11 go and hear you moron 2:21
@@spawn11 There's no spawn11. Stop pretending to exist
Great video 👏
@@dimitri00769 Much appreciated 🙏🙏🙏
His style is very flamboyant kinda like Lara. He has a big backlift and flows into his shots.
He needed 4 runs in his last innings to average 100 but was bowled for a duck
The speed of his hands and footwork was simply astonishing. He had very quick hands but also very deft,the stroke at 7:00 off Larwood so indicative.Almost like playing a spinner. Like a top guitar player,the tone is in the fingers,the touch that these top batsmen have is on another level. Such small bats ,big outfields as well.
The shot at 6:57 is one of my favourite Bradman shots. The most wonderfully powerful wrist flick for the late cut.
GOAT of all GOATS.
The cover drive @ 5:59 is a thing of beauty. Technical and powerful.
Wrist speed was lightning mix that with his eye and you get 99.94