Editing Don Bradman (section)

===Reluctant hero===
[[File:BradmanWedding.jpg|thumb|Hundreds of onlookers gather as the Bradmans leave the church after their wedding ceremony at St Paul's Church, Burwood, 30 April 1932.]] 
In 1930–31, against the first [[West Indies cricket team|West Indian side]] to visit Australia, Bradman's scoring was more sedate than in England{{snd}}although he did make 223 in 297 minutes in the Third Test at [[Brisbane]] and 152 in 154 minutes in the following Test at Melbourne.<ref>Cashman et al. (1996), p. 573.</ref> However, he scored quickly in a very successful sequence of innings against [[South Africa national cricket team|South Africa]] in the Australian summer of 1931–32. For NSW against the tourists, he made 30, 135 and 219. In the Test matches, he scored {{nowrap|226 (277 minutes)}}, {{nowrap|112 (155 minutes)}}, 2 and {{nowrap|167 (183 minutes)}}; his 299 not out in the Fourth Test, at Adelaide, set a new record for the highest score in a Test in Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/155212.html|title=South African team in Australia and New Zealand 1931–32|year=1933|work=Wisden|access-date=23 May 2008|archive-date=13 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713103552/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/wisdenalmanack/content/story/155212.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/208504.html|title=Test matches: Most runs in an innings|work=Cricinfo|access-date=23 May 2008|archive-date=5 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100305135707/http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/208504.html|url-status=live}} The record was beaten by [[Bob Cowper]], who scored 307 in 1965–66.</ref> Australia won nine of the ten Tests played over the two series.

At this point, Bradman had played fifteen Test matches since the beginning of 1930, scoring 2,227 runs at an average of 131.<ref name="30to32">{{cite web | url = http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/4188.html?class=1;spanmax2=1+May+1932;spanmin2=1+Jan+1930;spanval2=span;template=results;type=batting;view=innings | title = DG Bradman&nbsp;– Test matches&nbsp;– Batting analysis | work = Cricinfo | access-date = 27 April 2008 | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120923201151/http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/4188.html?class=1%3Bspanmax2%3D1+May+1932%3Bspanmin2%3D1+Jan+1930%3Bspanval2%3Dspan%3Btemplate%3Dresults%3Btype%3Dbatting%3Bview%3Dinnings | archive-date = 23 September 2012 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> He had played eighteen innings, scoring ten centuries, six of which had extended beyond 200.<ref name="30to32"/> His overall scoring rate was 42 runs per hour,<ref name="Teleg">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1324263/Sir-Donald-Bradman.html|title=Sir Donald Bradman|date=22 November 2001|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=23 August 2008|location=London|archive-date=25 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225153350/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1324263/Sir-Donald-Bradman.html|url-status=live}}</ref> with 856 (or 38.5% of his tally) scored in boundaries.<ref name="30to32"/> Significantly, he had not hit a [[six (cricket)|six]],<ref name="30to32"/> which typified Bradman's attitude: if he hit the ball along the ground, then it could not be caught. During this phase of his career, his youth and natural fitness allowed him to adopt a "machine-like" approach to batting. The South African fast bowler [[Sandy Bell]] described bowling to him as, "heart-breaking&nbsp;... with his sort of cynical grin, which rather reminds one of the Sphinx&nbsp;... he never seems to perspire".<ref name=CWilliams>Williams (1996), pp. 78–81.</ref>

Between these two seasons, Bradman seriously contemplated playing professional cricket in England with the [[Lancashire League (cricket)|Lancashire League]] club [[Accrington Cricket Club|Accrington]], a move that, according to the rules of the day, would have ended his Test career.<ref name=BDLEssay/> A consortium of three Sydney businesses offered an alternative. They devised a two-year contract whereby Bradman wrote for Associated Newspapers, broadcast on Radio [[2UE]] and promoted the menswear retailing chain FJ Palmer and Son.<ref name=BDLEssay/> However, the contract increased Bradman's dependence on his public profile, making it more difficult to maintain the privacy that he ardently desired.<ref name=CWilliams/>

In a second-class fixture in November 1931, Bradman scored 100 off 22 balls in a three over spell in a match for Blackheath against Lithgow.  Bradman's score of 256 included 14 sixes and 29 fours (notably hitting more sixes in this one innings than he hit in his entire first class career).<ref>{{cite book|last=Bradman|first=Don|title=Farewell to cricket, p. 50|year=1950|publisher=Pavilion Books Limited (1988 edition)|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bradman hits up 256|page=1|work=The Canberra Times|date=4 November 1931|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2258578|via=Trove|access-date=15 August 2023|archive-date=15 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815171852/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2258578|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Bradman's 100 off 3 overs!|page=3|work=The Advocate (Burnie)|date=14 January 1932|url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/67901810|via=Trove|access-date=15 August 2023|archive-date=15 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815171853/https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/67901810|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bradman's chaotic wedding to Jessie Menzies in April 1932 epitomised these new and unwelcome intrusions into his private life. The church "was under siege all throughout the day&nbsp;... uninvited guests stood on chairs and pews to get a better view"; police erected barriers that were broken down and many of those invited could not get a seat.<ref name=CWilliams/> Just weeks later, Bradman joined a private team organised by [[Arthur Mailey]] to tour the United States and Canada.<ref>{{YouTube|AZU_9OHFD9g|View The Australians in Toronto (featuring Sir Donald Bradman) online}}</ref> He travelled with his wife, and the couple treated the trip as a [[honeymoon]]. Playing 51 games in 75 days, Bradman scored 3,779 runs at 102.1, with eighteen centuries. Although the standard of play was not high, the effects of the amount of cricket Bradman had played in the three previous years, together with the strains of his celebrity status, began to show on his return home.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/310792.html | work = Cricinfo | title = When the Don met the Babe | access-date = 23 August 2008 | date = 15 September 2007 | archive-date = 12 October 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012213633/http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/310792.html | url-status = live }}</ref>