Quote:[size=14pt]Sir Donald Bradman, who has died aged 92, was the greatest cricketer of the 20th century and the greatest batsman who ever lived. He was also arguably the most famous of all Australians - and among the most influential. Sport played a major role in giving the young nation of Australia global standing, self-belief and a sense of identity. The tragic boxer Les Darcy and the racehorse Phar Lap played a part in this process, but nothing could match the phenomenon of Bradman.

His batting statistics are indelible and incredible, incomparably ahead of everyone else who has played the game. Seventy-two other players - including some indifferent ones - have scored more runs in first-class cricket; his totals of Test runs and centuries have been surpassed. But, in Bradman's time, a first-class match in Australia, let alone a Test match, was an event, and then the war intervened. [/size]