Don Bradman in How I play cricket

Reproduction of poster for 1932 film How I Play Cricket issued by the State Library of South Australia.

Don Bradman (1908–2001), widely regarded as the greatest batsman in the history of cricket, had a Test average of 99.94, a Test aggregate of 6996 runs, and a total of 117 first-class centuries, including 37 double centuries.

One of Bradman’s finest innings was his then-world record score of 334 against England in the Third Test at Leeds in July 1930. His bat played more than a supporting role. It was, Bradman said, ‘the best bat I ever had ... It had for me that indefinable something about it which made up [for me] perfect balance and apparently unlimited power.’¹

He broke dozens of records on that day—throughout his career, Bradman’s record-breaking ability was legendary.

The images from Bradman’s 1932 instructional film, How I Play Cricket, and its poster, have become part of cricketing folklore.

Bradman’s blazer is from his come-back period, which concluded with Australia’s victorious tour of England in 1948.

Bradman enlisted when war broke out. Invalided out in 1941, he worked as a stockbroker for the rest of the war, only playing cricket in a few small local matches.

Bradman retired in 1949 and was knighted for services to cricket and Commonwealth relations.

Copyright is assigned to the Libraries Board of South Australia with unreserved use by State Library of South Australia customers. 

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

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