It is a very grey day in Australia today. A great man whom some of you may not know anything about has passed away. He has been called the greatest cricketer of all time, even by some the greatest sportsman of all time, his average of 99.4 runs per innings almost doubling the average of the next closest batsman in the history of the game.

Many Australians who never met this man will sorely miss him and what he did for our country. Along with Kennedy and Lennon's deaths, all will remember where we were when we heard Sir Donald had died.

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SIR DONALD BRADMAN DEAD
AAP (from thepavillion.com.au)

ADELAIDE, Feb 26, AAP - Australia was in mourning today following the death of Sir Donald Bradman, regarded by many as the world's greatest cricketer.
Sir Donald died peacefully in his sleep at his Adelaide home yesterday, aged 92, said Richard Mulvaney of the Bradman Museum.

He had been in poor health and was trying to recover from a bout of pneumonia.

"I believe he died peacefully in his sleep and his family were there not long after," Mr Mulvaney said.

"He was suffering from pneumonia before Christmas and was hospitalised for a short period, went home before Christmas and was really trying to recover," said Mr Mulvaney.

Tributes immediately began pouring in for Australia's finest batsman.

A visibly saddened Prime Minister John Howard expressed sympathy to his family on behalf of all Australia.

Mr Howard said he had visited Sir Donald a little over a week ago in Adelaide and said he had been "very ill".

"It was always going to be a shock when Don Bradman died because he has really been the most dominant figure in Australian life now for decades," he told ABC radio.

Mr Howard said he had spoken to Sir Donald's son John this morning to express sympathy on behalf of all of Australia.

"And send our love to the Bradman family and record the appreciation of the Australian people for a wonderful life which not only gave this country and the world the greatest cricketer but, according to many people who compare these things, perhaps the greatest sportsman in 100 years.

"There has been nobody like that in the game and I doubt that there will ever be anybody quite like that."

It was too early to say what a fitting memorial to Sir Donald would be, Mr Howard said.

"His memorial is, in a sense, a personal and almost spiritual one, it's the special place he's had in the affections of our community."

South Australian Premier John Olsen said Sir Donald would be given a state funeral in Adelaide if his family agreed.

Mr Mulvaney said there was no question Sir Donald was the greatest batsman who ever lived. In 52 Test matches from 1928 to 1948, he scored 6996 runs at an average of 99.94.

His average is expected never to be bettered. "Any cricket lover or, in fact, any Australian and in fact many people around the world will certainly mourn Sir Donald's passing," Mr Mulvaney said.

Sir Donald was born at Cootamundra in southern New South Wales on August 27, 1908, but grew up in the southern highlands town of Bowral, about 100km south-west of Sydney.

He married his wife Jessie Menzies in 1932 and the couple lived together for 65 years in the same home in Adelaide.

However, Sir Donald felt increasingly lonely after her death from cancer in 1997. Sir Donald is survived by the couple's two children, John and Shirley.

Following his retirement from first class cricket in 1949, Sir Donald became an Australian selector and served two three-year terms as chairman of the Australian Cricket Board.

Mr Howard said Sir Donald was a person who lifted the spirits of the Australian people and gave them heart and a sense of belief in themselves at a time of economic and social despair during the Depression.

"He was more than just a great cricketer and a great sportsman, he was a dominant Australian personality in a way that I don't think any other person has been in the last 100 years," he said.

"A person of quite restless intelligence and someone who preserved a great respect for the values that he thought were important about behaviour, not only on the sporting field but also in life generally."

Former Australian cricket captain Bill Brown said Sir Donald was a great Australian who survived the tumultuous world of international cricket without a blemish on his character.

"You could sum it up saying he was a great Australian. He was sincere, honest and certainly cricketers ... respected him very highly both from a cricket point of view and from a personal point of view," he said.

Former test skipper Mark Taylor said Sir Donald was the greatest Australian he had ever met.

"Fifty three years after playing his final Test match, he was still revered around the world, held in incredible esteem.

"As a cricketer, the world has known no equal. He was the true symbol of fine sportsmanship, the benchmark that all young cricketers aspired to.

"His innings may have closed but his legacy will forever live on in the hearts of millions of Australians."

But you'd have to agree...that was one fantastic match they just played against India from day one to the time the final wicket fell.

BTW, there was a great Sir Don anecdote I heard the other day...

He was asked by an interviewer what he though his average would be if he were playing today...his response: only about 65...then he added: but then you must remember I am 70 years old now.

A champion.

At least it was all won and lost on the cricket, unlike the England-Sri Lanka series. Sri Lanka was given the first match through bad umpiring, while we were given the second. By 'bad', I mean making errors of judgement that any village green umpire could reasonably be expected to avoid.

I was at work throughout the third test and so didn't get a chance to hear very much of it, but I'd like to believe that the Gough-led limiting of Sri Lanka's final total on a pitch that was too worn out to take much spin was what finally swung it.