Don Bradman's 99.94 Average Explained: The Last Innings Duck, the Mathematics, and Why It's Unreachable
Don Bradman's 99.94 Test batting average — the most famous statistic in cricket, how the mathematics worked (6,996 runs / 80 innings with 10 not-outs), the last innings at The Oval (August 1948, bowled by Eric Hollies for 0 — 4 runs short of a 100 career average), why the average is considered statistically impossible to approach, and what it means compared to the next best averages.
Donald George Bradman's Test batting average of 99.94 is the most celebrated individual statistic in any team sport globally. It represents the average number of runs scored per completed innings in Test cricket (runs scored divided by times dismissed). Bradman played 52 Test matches (80 innings, 10 not-outs = 70 completed innings) and scored 6,996 runs. Average: 6,996 / 70 = 99.94. The statistic's fame: no other elite batsman in Test cricket history has averaged above 65 (and most career-200+-run averages are between 45 and 65). Bradman's average is not twice as high as the next-best — it is approximately 40% above it, with no comparable outlier in any other major sport's key statistic.
The Last Innings: Four Runs Short at The Oval, 1948
August 14, 1948, The Oval, London: Australia vs England, 5th Test. This was Bradman's final Test match. He had been 98 Test innings over his career with a 101.39 average going into this final innings — had he scored just 4 runs, his average would have exceeded 100. The context: Australia's final tour of England ('The Invincibles' — the 1948 Australian team that went unbeaten through their entire England tour). Bradman came in to bat. Famously: the entire crowd at The Oval (approximately 25,000 spectators) gave him a standing ovation as he walked to the crease. He faced Eric Hollies (Warwickshire leg-spinner). Second ball: Hollies bowled a googly; Bradman played for the leg-break, was beaten, and was bowled for 0. Career average fell from 101.39 to 99.94. Bradman himself said the emotion of the standing ovation may have affected his concentration — though he disputed precise details of the account in later interviews. The dismissal is cricket's most famous 0.
Why 99.94 Is Statistically Unique
Statistical context of 99.94: (1) Next best Test batting averages: Graeme Pollock (South Africa, 23 Tests, 60.97 average — though his career was cut short by apartheid isolation), George Headley (West Indies, 40.95 average in 22 Tests), Herbert Sutcliffe (England, 60.73 average); Steve Smith (Australia, approximately 60+ average in 2024), Sachin Tendulkar (53.78 average), Ricky Ponting (51.85). The gap between 99.94 and the next-best sustained long-career average (approximately 60-65) is approximately 35 runs per completed innings — an extraordinary margin; (2) The volume: Bradman's 52 Tests is not a small sample. Players with 20-30 Tests who average 70+ are often cited as 'what if they played more?' Bradman's 52 Tests across 20 years is sufficient to be statistically meaningful; (3) Why it cannot be approached: a modern player would need to sustain an average significantly above 80 across 100+ Tests — no player has averaged above 80 even across a 20-Test streak (excluding a few players whose careers ended prematurely). The combination of volume and average required to approach 99.94 is not achievable with modern cricket's bowling quality, format diversity, and scheduling intensity.
Bradman's Career in Numbers
Don Bradman's career statistics: Tests: 52 (1928-1948); Innings: 80; Not outs: 10; Runs: 6,996; Highest score: 334 (England vs Australia, Headingley 1930); Centuries: 29 (the most centuries per innings by any player in Test history); Fifties: 13; Average: 99.94. ODI cricket: Bradman retired before ODI cricket existed (first ODI was 1971). First-class career: 338 innings, 28,067 runs, 117 centuries, average 95.14. The first-class average (95.14) is also the highest in first-class cricket history. Bradman's first Test: November 1928 (Brisbane, vs England — he scored 18 and 1 in his debut). Last Test: August 1948 (The Oval, vs England — scored 0). Career span: 20 years (1928-1948) interrupted by World War II (1940-1945 — Bradman served in the Australian Army, losing 6 years of potential Test cricket during his prime years of 31-36). Had WWII not occurred, Bradman's total runs and centuries would have been substantially higher.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Don Bradman's batting average 99.94?
Don Bradman's Test batting average of 99.94 is calculated from his 6,996 Test runs scored in 80 innings with 10 not-outs (70 completed innings). Average = 6,996 / 70 = 99.94. The specific figure became 99.94 because in his last Test innings (The Oval, 1948), Bradman was bowled for 0 by Eric Hollies — had he scored just 4 more runs, his average would have been exactly 100. The 99.94 average is approximately 40% above the next-highest long-career averages in Test cricket history and is considered the most remarkable individual statistic in any team sport.
Why was Bradman dismissed for 0 in his last innings?
Don Bradman was dismissed for 0 in his final Test innings at The Oval on August 14, 1948. He faced Eric Hollies (Warwickshire leg-spinner); the second ball was a googly (which turns the opposite way to a leg-break). Bradman played for the leg-break, was beaten, and was bowled. Bradman himself suggested that the emotional response of receiving a standing ovation from the 25,000-strong Oval crowd as he walked to the crease may have affected his concentration. Had he scored 4 runs (which would have been a more typical start), his career average would have been 100.00. The dismissal is cricket's most famous low score.
Who has the second highest Test batting average?
After Don Bradman (99.94), the highest Test batting averages in cricket history (for players with substantial careers) include: Graeme Pollock (South Africa, 60.97 average from 23 Tests — career cut short by apartheid isolation); George Headley (West Indies, 60.83 from 22 Tests in the 1930s-40s); Herbert Sutcliffe (England, 60.73 from 54 Tests); Steve Smith (Australia, approximately 60 average from 100+ Tests as of 2026). For players with more than 100 Tests: Steve Smith, Kumar Sangakkara, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis all averaged approximately 55-60. Bradman's 99.94 is approximately 40 runs per innings above any comparable long-career average.