Don Bradman had years in which things happened.
Sir Donald George `` Don '' Bradman , AC ( 27 August 1908 -- 25 February 2001 ) , often referred to as `` The Don '' , was an Australian cricketer , widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time . Bradman 's meteoric rise from bush cricket to the Australian Test team took just over two years . During a 20-year playing career , Bradman consistently scored at a level that made him , in the words of former Australia captain Bill Woodfull , `` worth three batsmen to Australia '' . Bradman retained a pre-eminent position in the game by acting as an administrator , selector and writer for three decades following his retirement .