- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Don Bradman was skipper of the Invincibles, but Ricky Ponting considers him more an Untouchable.
The current Australian cricket captain may be our greatest batsman since Bradman but has never been one for comparing eras, and certainly not when considering arguably the sport’s greatest name.
“It’s almost like he’s separate from the game,” Ponting said.
“His name and what he achieved, it’s so far out of any player’s reach, in his time or any player who has played since, it’s almost like he played a different game to what we’re playing.
“He would have been the stand-out player whatever generation he played in.”
Ponting has spent three weeks researching Bradman’s life and career for a speech he will give in Sydney tomorrow night at Cricket Australia’s gala dinner to commemorate the centenary of Bradman’s birth.
He was struck by the scale of achievements and noted they transcended cricket to the point where Bradman’s name could be applied to dominant forces in other fields.
“They talk about someone being the Don Bradman of Aussie rules, they equate other superstars in other sports to being somewhere near him, which is pretty remarkable,” Ponting said.
“Is there anyone who’s ever played any sport who’s been able to achieve that level of greatness?
“What would the Olympic equivalent be? Throwing the javelin 25 metres further than the next guy? It would be a fairly dramatic increase on current records if you compared it to an Olympic sport.”
Previous presenters of the Bradman Oration include former prime minister John Howard, broadcaster Alan Jones, interviewer Michael Parkinson, cricket legend Richie Benaud and General Peter Cosgrove.
Ponting plans not to retell the legend but discuss his own passion for cricket and the legacy Bradman left.
That’s something Ponting can still recall, when, as a 15-year-old, he met Bradman while at the Australian cricket academy in Adelaide.
“It was an amazing experience,” he said.
“The first thing that struck you was his stature. He was quite a short, little guy and very quietly spoken.
“But everyone in that room was in awe and everyone was sitting on the edge of their seat taking in everything he would say.”
Australia’s most recent Test player, wrist spinner Beau Casson, never met Bradman.
But as a cricket lover – “I eat up as much as I can” – he was thrilled when he played for the national under-19 team at Adelaide Oval, knowing Sir Donald loved the ground and lived nearby.
Casson can recall poring over Bradman’s career statistics, and also the archived addresses, which struck a chord.
“I can remember just hearing his old interviews (recorded) before I was alive and hearing him play and as a public speaker,” he said.
“He was a great pusher and a great lover of cricket.”
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.