On Don Bradman's 15th death anniversary, rare footage of what made him the greatest
A documentary from 1932 provides insights into how a younger Bradman perfected his game.
The greatest cricketer of them all, Donald Bradman, died on this day, February 25, 15 years ago in 2001 at his home in Adelaide. He was 91 when he passed away, with the entire cricket world mourning the loss of one of their finest.
Bradman's records do not need further retelling. That legendary Test average of 99.94, and 29 Test centuries in only 52 Tests – it would be fair to say as that as long as cricket exists, the Don's legacy will burn brightly.
But as with all sporting greats, Bradman's genius was not a flash in the pan – it was a product of many hours of practice. The video above from the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia provides a rare insight into the methods a younger Bradman used to perfect his game.
The clip from the documentary How I Play Cricket, from 1932, shows Bradman perfecting his hand-eye reflexes by throwing a golf ball against a water tank and trying to defend it with a cricket stump. It also demonstrates how he worked on his catching abilities – throwing a ball towards a palling fence and and trying to catch the ball as it rebounded.