7 January

There was a TV series on Bodyline, but it amazes me there’s never been a film about Bradman. His sporting achievement is one of the most extraordinary things statistically in all human history, it almost defies belief. Literal orders of magnitude greater in relative terms than any other sportsperson who ever lived, but also in any other field of human achievement, nobody has ever stood so far above everybody else. He was also like The Beatles for many more than 30 years before they arrived, in terms of cultural impact. His astonishing record also leaves out that WW2 interrupted his career in its prime, losing 6 years. He came back to play after the war to help rebuild national morale. His average pre-war was about 102, he was an old man in sporting terms for those later Tests, and still averaged over 80.