Mourning continues in Australia

Sydney, February 28: Australia's outpouring over the death of cricketing legend Sir Donald Bradman continued unabated on Tuesday.

From Adelaide Oval to the historic Lords cricket ground in London, flags were lowered to half-mast out of respect for the world's most famous Australian.

All Australian newspapers carried special editions, covering their pages with the Don's extraordinary life and times.

However, some of the newspapers stated that he was not hugely liked by some of his old teammates -

"Tiger" O'Reilly always felt Bradman, as captain, was to blame for dropping Grimmett in the 1936-37 tour of England.

O’Reilly and former Test opening batsman Jack Fingleton were reported to have fallen about laughing in the press box when Bradman was out for his famous duck in his last innings at London's Oval in 1948.

Fingleton, who died in 1981 at the age of 73, claimed in his autobiography Bradman was reluctant to buy teammates a drink.

But for most, he was simply the most famous Australian in the world, a player who former England great Denis Compton once described as a batsman appearing not just once in a lifetime but once in the lifetime of the game.

Governor-general Sir William Deane had no hesitation in nominating Bradman as the best.

"His wonderful qualities as a man combined with his absolute pre-eminence as a cricketer to make him the best-known and most admired Australian of our times," Deane said.

Sydney University anthropologist Stephen Juan said the cricket legend's death would affect many people in a way similar to losing a brother or a father.

Like the deaths of Princess Diana and John Lennon, people would always remember where they were the day Sir Donald died, he said.

In keeping with his and his family's wishes there will be no state funeral, just a private affair in Adelaide later this week.