Our Don Bradman
Who is it that all Australia raves about?
Who has won our very highest praise?
Now is it Amy Johnson, or little Mickey Mouse?
No it’s just a country lad who’s bringing down the house!
Our Don Bradman
Now I ask you is he any good?
Our Don Bradman
As a batsman he can sure lay on the wood
Oh when he goes in to bat
He knocks every record flat
For there isn’t anything he cannot do
Our Don Bradman,
Every Aussie dips his lid to you!
Our Don Bradman
Now I ask you is he any good?
Our Don Bradman
As a batsman he is certainly “plum pud”
Tate and Larwood meet their fate,
For it’s always “shut the gate”
When the boy from Bowral hits four after four!
Our Don Bradman
What a welcome waits for you back home!
Released as Our Don Bradman by Art Leonard in 1930
At the time of his retirement from international cricket in 1948, Sir Donald Bradman had a record etched into folklore:
52 Tests 80 Innings 10 Not outs 6,996 runs H.S. 334 29 100s 13 50s Avge 99.94 (A figure subsequently immortalised as the Post Office Box number of the ABC in each Australian Capital city)
Then, his record placed him second amongst the highest test match run scorers, behind only England’s great, Walter Hammond, and as the leading scorer of Test Match 100s (His total of 12 200s and 2 300s (now shared with Lara, Gayle and Sehwag) are still world records 70 years later).
At the time of writing (November 2017) Bradman’s total Test Match runs scored has him sitting in 10th place all time … amongst Australian batsmen !! Overall his total runs scored has now been surpassed by another 46 batsmen from all Test playing nations (except Bangladesh and Zimbabwe), and sees him in 48th place in runs scored.
To attempt to measure where he now sits amongst the all-time greats, comparison with the careers of those players to have passed his totals were in order.
Given the greater frequency with which Tests are played being a significant contributing factor to the increased career aggregates now obtained:
- everyone to pass Bradman’s total runs has played at least 140 innings, with 39 of the 47 playing at least 180, and
- Test cricket has been played for 140 years. Only 5 of the 93 men to score 5,000 Test runs debuted in the first 70 years of Tests (i.e. before 1947) and 24 have debuted since 2000, with 10 playing Tests in 2017.
For the 47 men to surpass Bradman’s total runs, three measures were used:
- What was player X’s record after 80 innings in their career (as Bradman played),
- What was their record to achieve 6,997 runs (i.e. one more than Bradman),
- What was their record in their best stretch of 80 consecutive Test innings ?
Summaries of the results of these searches are found in the following tables:
The best 5 totals and average records of the 47 players ahead of Bradman are as follows:
- After their first 80 innings (most runs / best average)
Tests | Inn | N.O. | Runs | H.S. | Avge | 100s | 50s | |
Bradman | 52 | 80 | 10 | 6,996 | 334 | 99.94 | 29 | 13 |
V Richards | 52 | 80 | 4 | 4,411 | 291 | 58.04 | 14 | 18 |
Hayden | 48 | 80 | 7 | 4,185 | 380 | 57.33 | 16 | 12 |
Sobers | 46 | 80 | 9 | 4,128 | 365 | 58.14 | 14 | 12 |
Hammond | 49 | 80 | 9 | 4,096 | 336 | 57.69 | 13 | 12 |
Sehwag | 49 | 80 | 3 | 4,062 | 309 | 52.75 | 12 | 12 |
G Chappell | 46 | 80 | 13 | 3,724 | 247 | 55.58 | 13 | 19 |
47 man Average | 47 | 80 | 7 | 3,359 | 222 | 45.81 | 9 | 17 |
- To achieve 6,997 Test runs (fewest innings / best average)
Tests | Inn | N.O | Runs | H.S. | Avge | 100s | 50s | |
Bradman | 52 | 80 | 10 | 6,996 | 334 | 99.94 | 29 | 12 |
Hammond | 80 | 131 | 16 | 6,997 | 336 | 60.84 | 22 | 23 |
Sehwag | 79 | 134 | 5 | 6,997 | 319 | 54.24 | 20 | 23 |
Tendulkar | 85 | 136 | 14 | 6,997 | 218 | 57.55 | 25 | 29 |
G Smith | 85 | 137 | 9 | 6,997 | 277 | 54.66 | 20 | 28 |
Sangakkara | 83 | 138 | 10 | 6,997 | 287 | 54.66 | 18 | 31 |
Sobers | 79 | 139 | 19 | 6,997 | 365 | 58.31 | 21 | 27 |
Dravid | 82 | 141 | 18 | 6,997 | 270 | 56.89 | 17 | 33 |
Ponting | 89 | 145 | 20 | 6,997 | 257 | 55.98 | 22 | 27 |
47 man Average | 94 | 159 | 14 | 6,997 | 263 | 48.14 | 19 | 33 |
- Best stretch of 80 consecutive Test innings (most runs / best average)
Tests | Inn | N.O. | Runs | H.S. | Avge | 100s | 50s | From Inn (*) | To Inn (*) | |
Bradman | 52 | 80 | 10 | 6,996 | 334 | 99.94 | 29 | 13 | 1 | 80 |
Ponting | 46 | 80 | 13 | 5,052 | 257 | 75.40 | 19 | 19 | 104 | 193 |
Sangakkara | 47 | 80 | 7 | 5.027 | 287 | 68.86 | 18 | 18 | 92 | 171 |
Lara | 44 | 80 | 2 | 4,985 | 400 | 63.91 | 16 | 16 | 126 | 205 |
Sobers | 49 | 80 | 12 | 4.969 | 365 | 73.07 | 18 | 17 | 28 | 107 |
Tendulkar | 47 | 80 | 7 | 4,817 | 217 | 65.99 | 19 | 16 | 78 | 157 |
Kallis | 44 | 80 | 14 | 4,711 | 224 | 71.38 | 18 | 21 | 113 | 192 |
Chanderpaul | 46 | 80 | 20 | 4,199 | 203 | 69.98 | 14 | 22 | 172 | 251 |
47 man Average | 47 | 80 | 8 | 4,163 | 262 | 57.68 | 14 | 18 | 70 | 149 |
(*) NOTE: From innings and To innings show the innings numbers in each player’s career which represents their best 80 consecutive innings stretch.
By way of comparison with the players of today the below table is included for those batsmen who have played in 2017 who have scored more than 5,000 test runs (alphabetical order)
Tests | Inn | N.O. | Runs | H.S. | Avge | 100s | 50s | |
Bradman | 52 | 80 | 10 | 6,996 | 334 | 99.94 | 29 | 13 |
Azhar Ali | 62 | 118 | 8 | 5,129 | 302 | 46.62 | 14 | 27 |
Hashim Amla | 109 | 186 | 14 | 8,578 | 311 | 49.87 | 28 | 35 |
Alastair Cook | 147 | 266 | 15 | 11.629 | 294 | 46.33 | 31 | 55 |
Misbah-ul-Haq | 75 | 132 | 20 | 5.222 | 161 | 46.62 | 10 | 39 |
Joe Root | 60 | 110 | 11 | 5.323 | 254 | 53.76 | 13 | 32 |
Steve Smith | 56 | 104 | 14 | 5,370 | 215 | 59.66 | 20 | 21 |
Ross Taylor | 81 | 146 | 18 | 6,030 | 290 | 47.10 | 16 | 27 |
David Warner | 66 | 123 | 4 | 5,705 | 253 | 47.94 | 20 | 24 |
Kane Williamson | 61 | 110 | 10 | 5,116 | 242 | 51.16 | 17 | 25 |
Younis Khan | 118 | 213 | 19 | 10,099 | 313 | 52.05 | 34 | 33 |
In terms of Test Match centuries scored, Bradman’s total of 29 was not surpassed until Sunil Gavaskar of India scored his 30th, a career best 236, against the West Indies in December 1983 in his 99th Test match. Bradman now sits in 14th place overall. None of the batsmen ahead of Bradman have played less than 184 innings (Matthew Hayden), and Younis Khan is next on fewest innings played with 213.
Hashim Amla of South Africa will equal Bradman with his next Test ton, but no one else who played in 2017, who currently trails Bradman, has more than the 20 100s of both Australia’s Steve Smith and David Warner.
The overall list is currently as follows:
Tests | Inn | N.O. | Runs | H.S. | Avge | 100s | 50s | |
Tendulkar | 200 | 329 | 33 | 15,921 | 248 | 53.78 | 51 | 68 |
Kallis | 166 | 280 | 40 | 13,289 | 224 | 55.37 | 45 | 58 |
Ponting | 168 | 287 | 29 | 13,378 | 257 | 51.85 | 41 | 62 |
Sangakkara | 134 | 233 | 17 | 12,400 | 319 | 57.40 | 38 | 52 |
Dravid | 164 | 286 | 32 | 13,288 | 270 | 52.31 | 36 | 63 |
Gavaskar | 125 | 214 | 16 | 10,122 | 236 | 51.12 | 34 | 45 |
Lara | 131 | 232 | 6 | 11,953 | 400 | 52.88 | 34 | 48 |
Jayawardene | 149 | 252 | 15 | 11,814 | 374 | 49.84 | 34 | 50 |
Younis Khan | 118 | 213 | 19 | 10,099 | 313 | 52.05 | 34 | 33 |
S Waugh | 168 | 260 | 46 | 10,927 | 200 | 51.06 | 32 | 50 |
Cook | 147 | 266 | 15 | 11,629 | 294 | 46.33 | 31 | 55 |
Hayden | 103 | 184 | 14 | 8,625 | 380 | 50.73 | 30 | 29 |
Chanderpaul | 164 | 280 | 49 | 11,867 | 203 | 51.37 | 30 | 66 |
Bradman | 52 | 80 | 10 | 6,996 | 334 | 99.94 | 29 | 13 |
The figures for each batsman with more than 29 Test centuries, at the time that ton no. 30 was achieved are as follows:
Tests | Inn | N.O. | Runs | H.S. | Avge | 100s | 50s | |
Tendulkar | 93 | 159 | 15 | 8,351 | 217 | 57.99 | 30 | 68 |
Kallis | 119 | 200 | 33 | 9,641 | 224 | 57.33 | 30 | 58 |
Ponting | 102 | 170 | 23 | 8,647 | 257 | 58.82 | 30 | 62 |
Sangakkara | 110 | 187 | 14 | 9,798 | 319 | 56.64 | 30 | 52 |
Dravid | 145 | 251 | 26 | 11,707 | 270 | 52.03 | 30 | 63 |
Gavaskar | 99 | 174 | 14 | 8,395 | 236 | 52.47 | 30 | 45 |
Lara | 117 | 205 | 6 | 10,818 | 400 | 54.36 | 30 | 48 |
Jayawardene | 129 | 214 | 14 | 10,266 | 374 | 51.07 | 30 | 50 |
Younis Khan | 100 | 180 | 17 | 8,814 | 313 | 54.07 | 30 | 33 |
S Waugh | 158 | 247 | 40 | 10,814 | 200 | 49.20 | 30 | 50 |
Cook | 137 | 245 | 15 | 10,839 | 294 | 47.13 | 30 | 55 |
Hayden | 95 | 167 | 13 | 8,242 | 380 | 53.52 | 30 | 29 |
Chanderpaul | 157 | 280 | 49 | 11,684 | 203 | 53.11 | 30 | 66 |
Bradman | 52 | 80 | 10 | 6,996 | 334 | 99.94 | 29 | 13 |
He was more than just a batsman
He was something like a tide
He was more than just one man, he could take on any side
They always came for Bradman, cause fortune used to hide in the palm of his hand
Extract (chorus) from the song Bradman, released as the B side to Leaps and Bounds in 1987 by Paul Kelly
An interesting and well-compiled piece. Thanks, Greig.
I am an admirer of Bradman the batsman, maybe not so much Bradman the man…
although I admit he was a man of his time.
Brilliant and inventive statistical analysis, Greig. I knew a bit about his stats, but loved reading the comparative analysis you went into such detail with.
Now shadows grow longer, and there’s so much more yet to be told
But we’re not getting any younger, so let the part tell the whole….your stats tell the whole …there has never been a sportsperson in any sport in any part of the world who was so much better than the next best.
Thanks