Donald Bradman debut Test bat expected to fetch 145000 dollars in auction

Johannesburg: The cricket bat used by Australian legend Sir Donald Bradman while beginning his Test career has reportedly been put up for auction and is expected to fetch up to 145000 Australian dollars.

Bradman, who retired with a yet-to-be-topped Test batting average of 99.94, used the bat, which is signed by the iconic captain as DGB, to open his Test career in the 1928 series against England.

According to Sport24, the bat, which also holds the signatures of 19 members of English and Australian teams who played in his maiden Test, was donated by Bradman to a Sydney newspaper in 1930 as a competition prize to raise money for a children's hospital and was held by the boy who won until 2008 when he sold it for 1, 45000 dollars.

The report mentioned that the current holder of the bat, an Australian collector, put it on display at the National Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but has now decided to sell.

The market for memorabilia related to Bradman, who died in 2001 aged 92, remains strong with a bat he used and signed by his 1948 'Invincible' team selling for 61000 dollars last year, the report added.