Bradman's 254 voted best ever

Donald Bradman's status as the Superman of Australian batsmanship lives on, with two of The Don's most gargantuan knocks voted among the three greatest innings ever played by Australian cricketers.

The historic poll, published in the latest edition of Inside Edge magazine, has been conducted among a selection panel of 30 cricket experts and former Australian Test players, representing every decade since the 1940s.

Bradman's 254 against England at Lord's in 1930 - which he himself considered his most technically impeccable innings - was voted No. 1. In second place comes his team-mate Stan McCabe's daring 232 at Trent Bridge in 1938, when McCabe farmed the strike and slaughtered the English bowling when all seemed lost. Third is Bradman's 334 - including 309 in a single day - at Headingley, also made in his golden English summer of 1930.

Of his innings voted the greatest ever, his 254 at Lord's, Bradman wrote in his autobiography Farewell To Cricket: "Practically without exception every ball went where it was intended."

Two innings from the modern era round up the top five. Dean Jones's 210 in the tied Test at Chennai in 1986-87, when he batted for more than eight hours in exhausting heat and ultimately lost control of his bodily functions, was voted the fourth-greatest Australian innings. In fifth position comes Kim Hughes's epic 100 not out against West Indies in the Boxing Day Test of 1981-82. The next highest score that day was 21.

"The list encapsulates the most precious, tantalising, uniquely red-blooded traits of Australian batsmanship," said Christian Ryan, the editor of Inside Edge. "Our voters were dazzled by the huge numbers and helter-skelter scoring rates of Don Bradman and Matthew Hayden. They were struck by the bravery under fire of Stan McCabe, Kim Hughes and Bill Lawry. And they were charmed by the pristine artistry of Mark Waugh, Greg Chappell and Victor Trumper."

Of the current Australian XI, Adam Gilchrist's matchwinning 149 not out against Pakistan in Hobart four years ago is ranked the sixth-best Australian innings in history. At No. 7 is Steve Waugh's 200 at Kingston in 1994-95, when Australia finally wrested the Frank Worrell Trophy off West Indies. Matthew Hayden's world-record 380, accumulated against Zimbabwe at the start of this summer, is rated 10th best.

Neil Harvey, with six innings in the top 50, figures more prominently than any other Australian batsman. Bradman and Steve Waugh (four each) are next best, followed by Ian Chappell and Doug Walters (three). A second McCabe innings - his unbeaten 187 in the opening Bodyline Test of 1932-33 - finished in eighth position.

The poll is the largest of its kind undertaken in Australian cricket-publishing history. The 30-man selection panel includes former Test stars Richie Benaud, Alan Davidson, Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor, Ian Craig, Ian Healy, Geoff Lawson, Colin McDonald, Ashley Mallett, Rick McCosker and Sam Loxton.

The latest edition of Inside Edge commemorates the 50 greatest innings with 50 classic essays by the leading cricket writers from Australia and the world.