Cricket: Bradman dead at 92

10:02 AM

Sir Donald Bradman, the greatest batsman in test history and Australia's most revered sporting figure, has died in Adelaide at the age of 92.

Richard Mulvaney, the Director of the Bradman Foundation, told the Australian Bradcasting Corporation the cricketing legend died peacefully in his sleep on Sunday.

"Sir Donald Bradman died yesterday morning, peacefully at his home, after a short illness with pneumonia," Mulvaney said.

"The Don" became a national sporting hero during the 1930s and 1940s when he rewrote cricket's record books by scoring 6,996 runs in 52 tests at an average of 99.94. No other player before or since has come close to matching his batting average.

In later years, the former Australia test captain and cricket administrator adopted a reclusive lifestyle, rarely making public appearances.

His wife Jessie died of cancer, aged 88, in September 1997. Bradman is survived by his only son, John.