Did You Know Don Bradman Was Dropped After Playing His First Test?
Updated - 30 Nov 2019, 04:55 PM
The cricketing fraternity is well aware of the stature that Australian batting great Don Bradman holds. Bradman is widely regarded as the greatest batsman to ever walk out on the cricketing field. His batting average of 99.94 in 52 Test matches remains the highest till date and may not ever be surpassed. Like most of the batting greats, the right-hander didn’t straight away make an impact. Notably, he faced an axe after playing his first Test.
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Bradman made his debut on November 30th, 1928 against arch-rivals England at the Gabba in Brisbane. Batting at number seven in the first innings in reply to the tourists’ total of 521, Bradman scored 18 runs off 33 balls that included four boundaries. The home side were bowled out for an abysmal 122. In the second innings, the New South Wales born could manage only a single as Australia crashed to an embarrassing 66 all out.
The home side went on to lose the game by a whopping margin of 675 runs. The subsequent Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground saw Bradman’s exclusion from the playing eleven. He made his way back for the third Test at the MCG as he scored 79 and 112 in the first and second innings respectively in a losing cause. He was picked for the last two Tests in Adelaide and Melbourne respectively.
The late batsman responded well by mustering 40 and 58 in Adelaide while in the final Test of the series, he crafted a century (123) in the first innings and remained unbeaten on 37 in the second. Australia went on to lose the series by 4-1.
Bradman reigns supreme in England:
Australia turned the tables on their old enemy when they travelled to England in 1930 to avenge their home series loss in 1928. The Baggy greens regained the Ashes by defeating England – 2-1 in the five-match series. Don Bradman finished as the highest run-getter in the series with 974 runs, including two double hundreds, one century and one triple hundred. His best Test score of 334 came in the third Test at Headingley in Leeds.
