Even to those who never saw him play, Sir Donald Bradman has always been a revered figure. There has been no cricketer whose performances have so transcended international, cultural or generational divides.

Bradman was born on 27th August 1908 at Cootamundra, a township in southern New South Wales, but he was raised further east in Bowral, a small highlands town which lies close to 100 kilometres to the south west of Sydney.

As a youngster, he refined the technique and the remarkable hand-eye co-ordination that was later to dominate his timing and strokeplay by indulging in the famously recalled practice of repeatedly hitting a golf ball with a stump against a rainwater tank at the Bradman family home.

His progress through schoolboy and country cricketing ranks was swift, and by the age of 17 he had made his entrance to first grade ranks in Sydney club cricket. The portents for future success were established early: a century on debut for St. George, another three figure score in his first interstate appearance, his debut for New South Wales just over a year later against South Australia in Adelaide.

Over a period which spanned 21 years, Bradman's first-class record ultimately produced 28,067 runs at the staggering average of 95.14. Not to mention the small matter of 117 centuries. These include a score of 452* for New South Wales which still stands unchallenged as the highest-ever first-class mark ever compiled in Australia.

But it was in the international arena where confirmation of his greatness was generated. Unlike his junior, club and state careers, there was not immediate success for Australia. He scored 18 and 1 in his opening Test - against England in Brisbane in 1928-29. But over the 20 years and the 51 Tests which followed, the ledger was mercilessly redressed.

Bradman's Test record was so exceptional, in fact, that he only needed to score four runs from his final innings - against England at The Oval in 1948 - to end with a three-figured average. Famously, he was bowled by leg spinner Eric Hollies for a second ball duck. Almost universally, it was speculated that the thunderous reception which greeted his walk to the wicket, and the occasion itself, were so overwhelming that it was little wonder that he was unable to produce his best. Bradman himself later denied the suggestion, but there was also a suspicion that there were tears in his eyes as he attempted to play Hollies.

Earlier, he plundered the best attacks that England, South Africa, India and West Indies could put before him. From eighty innings, in two countries, and across two decades, he scored 6,996 runs at an average of 99.94 with an astonishing 29 centuries. His insatiable appetite for runs even allowed him to score 309 runs on one day of Test cricket alone - against England at Leeds in 1930 - on his way to a score of 334 that still stands unsurpassed by an Australian and which long stood as the largest-ever individual Test score. Opponents and teammates alike marvelled at his powers and at the lack of any apparent weaknesses in his game.

It wasn't simply the feats themselves which separated Bradman from his contemporaries or from his successors; it was the mystique and aura that his extraordinary abilities carried with them as well.

Bradman's rise to Test status and the start of his ascent towards immortality occurred against the backdrop of distressing economic decline in Australia. Along with the legendary Australian racehorse Phar Lap, the unrivalled right hand batsman brightened otherwise despondent lives during the sombre days of the Great Depression. His feats also created a wave of patriotic fervour - but he later became venerated throughout the cricketing world.

He was never a typical Australian sports hero - he shunned alcohol and tobacco, and was not one to socialise heavily. But nothing artificial nor contrived was needed to assist the growth of his legend.

Even when Douglas Jardine's 1932-33 England tourists attempted to unsettle him with the reviled tactics of "leg theory" during the renowned Bodyline series, Bradman's capacity to score heavily was not greatly diminished. He averaged 56.57 in that series and contributed strongly to Australia's win against the odds in the season's Melbourne Test.

Illness also proved little barrier to his success. After the 1934 tour of England, Bradman battled a debilitating onset of appendicitis which may have come close to killing him. During World War Two, fibrositis also plagued him; it forced him out of service with the army and threatened to cripple him. But he rebounded quickly from both setbacks to continue his record-shattering progress.

On his retirement, Bradman became the first Australian player to be knighted. Status as a Commander of the Order of Australia was also conferred upon him in 1979, and last year he was named (along with Jack Hobbs, Gary Sobers, Shane Warne and Vivian Richards) as one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Twentieth Century. Of the 100 voters consulted, every one gave Bradman their vote.

After a successful period as captain that delivered 15 wins from 24 Tests, Bradman quickly assumed a prominent role in cricket administration. He ultimately became President of the South Australian Cricket Association and was a long-time convenor and chairman of the national selection panel.

Away from the glare of publicity in Adelaide, Sir Donald Bradman has lived a reclusive life over recent years. But the legend has never waned. He was not only the finest batsman in the game on either side of World War Two, he has unarguably been cricket's greatest-ever player.

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